'A few weeks' - Defender ruled out of Newcastle United v Arsenal as striker close to return
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Newcastle take a 2-0 lead into the second leg on home turf though head into the match having lost their last two at St James’ Park while Arsenal head into the game fresh from a 5-1 win against Manchester City.
The winners of the tie will face either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the final on Sunday, March 16 at Wembley Stadium.
Here is the team news heading into the match...
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Arsenal have several injuries ahead of the trip to St James’ Park. Bukayo Saka remains out following a hamstring injury that required surgery while Gabriel Jesus will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Takehiro Tomiyasu is also out with a knee injury. Defender Ben White is closing in on a return though remains out for the semi-final match. White has missed the last 12 weeks in total after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.
And Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta suggested the 27-year-old could be back available when his side return to Premier League action against Leicester City on February 15.
“No news from the game against City,” Arteta said ahead of the Newcastle trip. “Ben is still out, hopefully after the break he will be available.”
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Newcastle midfielder Joelinton is a major doubt for the game after going off with a knee injury in the 2-1 defeat against Fulham on Saturday. The Brazilian was spotted wearing a knee brace at the training ground on Sunday though Howe claimed ahead of the Arsenal match that it was just a ‘precaution’.
“Joey after the game was put in a knee brace just as a precaution,” Howe said. “He’s out of that now. We’ll assess how he is for this game. I’d say he is a doubt but we’ll give him every minute we can to try and make him fit.”
Callum Wilson could return after eight weeks out with a hamstring injury and has returned to training.
“There’s a chance,” Howe said when asked if Wilson would be involved. “We’ve got another important training day [on Tuesday], so let’s get through that before we make a decision on him.”
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Hide AdTwo players who will certainly miss the game are Harvey Barnes with a thigh issue and Jamaal Lascelles, who is into the final stages of his recovery from an ACL injury.
Barnes is still a couple of weeks away from a return while Howe said on Tuesday that Lascelles is ‘a few weeks behind’.
“Jamaal Lascelles still working his way back to fitness,” Howe told The Gazette. “He's still going to be a few weeks behind where we are currently.”
Since the first leg encounter, two players have left Newcastle’s squad with Miguel Almiron joining Atlanta United for £10million and Lloyd Kelly moving to Juventus on loan. But two players returning to the side are Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar, who missed the first leg due to suspension but have since started Newcastle’s last two Premier League matches.
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