Newcastle United tease 'incredible' injury boost for Arsenal clash

Newcastle United could welcome back striker Callum Wilson into the matchday squad for the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal at St James’ Park on Wednesday night.

The hosts go into the game with a 2-0 advantage having stunned the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium earlier this month. Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon were among the goals on that night but Eddie Howe’s side will go into the second leg needing to bounce back from disappointment at the weekend.

The Magpies were humbled 2-1 by Fulham on Tyneside on Saturday afternoon with Rodrigo Muniz and Raul Jimenez bagging second half goals to complete a comeback following a Jacob Murphy opener. The Cottagers completed the double over Newcastle United, having won 2-1 at Craven Cottage in September.

Newcastle United tease Callum Wilson return

News of potential lowered spirits will be a boost to Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, who take on Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon before looking to reverse the scoreline against Newcastle United and book a place at Wembley Stadium. However, the Magpies could be buoyed by the return of Wilson.

The striker has endured an injury-riddled couple of seasons and has made just four appearances this term. Those all came in the top flight between November and December, sandwiched between lay-offs with a back injury and a hamstring injury. Speaking after the defeat to Fulham, Howe teased that the forward would be ‘there or there abouts’ for Wednesday night.

Despite his time away, there’s no doubting the player’s credentials as a marksman. Wilson has 48 goals in his 112 Newcastle United appearances and a total of 88 Premier League goals in his career. He has scored three times against the Gunners, all while he was at AFC Bournemouth.

When fit, the England international has been key for Newcastle United. Speaking in May 2023 when the player inspired a 4-1 win over Brighton to help the side edge closer to Champions League qualification, Howe said: "He's been incredible and I feel that his performance was right up there with one of the best I've seen him play, purely from a tactical perspective.

"He has to lead the press and the one we bounce off initially. He kept going right until the end and his goalscoring record is excellent. I'm delighted for him, he's a huge player for us and a big presence in the dressing room."

Eddie Howe must ignite response against Arsenal

Howe will be asking for more of his players against Arsenal this week after he criticised his side’s performance against Fulham. Speaking after the defeat to Marco Silva’s men, the manager said: “Yeah, certainly there's no excuse today, that's why I'm not trying to give us one. There's no excuse for what we did today. We have to own it fully and take full responsibility for it.

“There's certainly no excuses from us. We had a week to prepare the game. I thought we prepared the game well in terms of our training and performances. I'm unsure as to why that wasn't the case.”

In other news, Arsenal and West Ham look to be beaten to the signing of a Premier League marksman by rivals Aston Villa.