CARABAO CUP SEMI-FINAL: The Striker previews ARSENAL v NEWCASTLE with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
ARSENAL V NEWCASTLE
8pm The Carabao Cup Semi-Finals kick off this week on BETDAQ Betting Exchange. We have a cracking week ahead with the first legs between Arsenal and Newcastle following by Spurs and Liverpool. While most Premier League sides look down on this competition in general, this is usually the stage that they get serious. For Arsenal, Newcastle and Spurs it would be massive to win this – less so for Liverpool who sit at the top of the Premier League table. With Arsenal dropping points again at the weekend, it looks like Arne Slot’s men will cruise to the title to be honest.
Arsenal would have been absolutely gutted with the draw at Brighton on Saturday evening. The penalty decision was remarkable – not many supported it outside Brighton fans; head clashes happen all the time and the reality is VAR was supposed to stop these decisions. But anyway, football moves on quickly and Arsenal will have to get over it. Ange Postecoglou was ranting about a decision at the weekend too as Newcastle beat Spurs 2-1; he even went as far to say that it wasn’t a “fair and even playing ground.” Newcastle won’t mind, and they actually have some pretty good momentum at the moment. They’ve put together five Premier League wins in a row, and you’d have to say that this fixture comes at a good time.
Newcastle moved up to the European spots in the Premier League, and they are actually only five points behind Arsenal now too. This should be a good game; most football fans will expect an Arsenal win – if Newcastle could take a draw into the second leg then things might get interesting. Arsenal come into the game as the odds on favourites at 1.75 with Newcastle 5.2 and the draw is 4.1 at the time of writing. While Newcastle must be full of confidence; you have to point out that a lot of sides have managed to beat Manchester United and Spurs this season – they have turned into two mid-table sides this season!
That being said, Newcastle also beat Aston Villa 3-0 on this run, and putting five wins together in the Premier League is no mean feat. Arsenal haven’t been able to go past a run of three wins in a row in the Premier League this season, which is why they are so far behind Liverpool in the title race. It should be very interesting to see what tactics both sides opt for here – as I said above, Newcastle will be reasonably happy with a draw given they have home advantage in the second leg. Over 2.5 goals is trading odds on, and it’s trading at a very similar price to the Arsenal win at 1.72.
Newcastle managed to grind out a 1-0 win over Arsenal when the sides met in the Premier League in November, and while Arsenal have definitely improved in recent weeks, the 1.75 feels a little short here given Newcastle’s recent run. I do feel we’ll see a closer game than those odds suggest. I also feel we will see quite a cagey game; Arteta has Arsenal very solid at the back, and I can’t see Newcastle wanting an open game here either. I couldn’t put anyone off the Arsenal lay, but I like a small bet on Under 2.5 goals at 2.32.
The Striker Says:
One point win Under 2.5 goals at 2.32 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/CCArNe
