Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has called on his players to be at their best against Arsenal ahead of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at the Emirate Stadium.
Arteta’s side beat Crystal Palace 3-2 in the quarter-finals to reach this stage but warmed up for this one with a frustrating 1-1 draw at Brighton after Joao Pedro won, and then scored, a controversial penalty.
Newcastle, meanwhile, made light work of Brentford in the quarter-finals in a routine 3-1 win. Flying high in the Premier League, they narrowly beat Tottenham 2-1 on Saturday afternoon for a fifth league win on the spin.
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However, Howe has warned his players to be really good off the ball and solid defensively.
“This is an important game for us. We need to be at our absolute best, a high-level game. There is a lot at stake for us.
“We’ve got to be really good off the ball and solid defensively. We’ve got to cause Arsenal problems the other way.
“I don’t think we should overthink it, we just need to get that mix right. Let’s try and continue the good performances we’ve given recently and try and win the game.”
