Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Score and latest updates from Carabao Cup semi-final as Martin Odegaard starts

13 mins: Gabriel Martinelli dances into the box from the left and runs at Sven Botman. He manages to get a pass into the middle but Dan Burn is there to turn the ball behind for a corner.

Declan Rice delivers again and picks out Jurrien Timber for a second time. Timber mistimes his jump and gets to the ball as he falls back to earth meaning his headed effort is sent over the top of the crossbar.

An Arsenal free kick is lofted into the box and Newcastle do okay to clear it. It comes to the edge of the box where Gabriel Martinelli brings the ball under control before drilling a shot at goal.

His effort is deflected to William Saliba who tries the same thing. His shot gets through but a lunging Dan Burn stops Kai Havertz from turning it home.

Martin Dubravka smothers the ball and the attack dies down.

9 mins: Arsenal are set up with Leandro Trossard on the right wing of the forward line. He doesn’t usually play here but in Bukayo Saka’s absence Mikel Arteta must feel as though Gabriel Martinelli is the more effective of the two on the left wing.

6 mins: Arsenal win their first set piece of the game. The Gunners have been incredible at scoring from set plays this season and this corner is sent into the box buy Declan Ric3e.

He picks out Jurrien Timber but the defender’s header is directed wide of the target.

Arsenal’s centre-backs are asleep as a ball is played over the top for Alexander Isak. The striker makes a run in behind and keeps himself onside before touching the ball into the box.

He pulls it back to Joelinton who attempts a first time shot on a bobbling pass. He doesn’t connect properly and lifts the effort over the crossbar.

3 mins: Arsenal look to control possession but a poor pass into midfield is intercepted. Newcastle send the ball to Alexander Isak who spins and releases it to Jacob Murphy arriving in the box from the right.

Murphy shoots but his effort is blocked and the Gunners clear their lines.

Newcastle get the ball rolling at the Emirates Stadium and work it over to the left wing. Joelinton is fed down the line and comes up against Jurrien Timber who manages to win a throw in for Arsenal.

The players make their way out onto the pitch at the Emirates Stadium. The Newcastle fans are in full voice and have travelled a long way for this match.

It’s only the first leg but both managers have picked strong teams with the aim to win the game. For Arsenal, Martin Odegaard returns and captains the team. He leads the players out on the pitch.

Alexander Isak could become the first Magpies player to score against Arsenal in two different games in a single campaign since Laurent Robert in 2001/02.

It’s a week where only four Premier League teams have double fixtures, so it consequently becomes a little double-edged. Although the Carabao Cup semi-final managers are at a stage of the season where their squads could badly do with time to breathe, the fact they are so close to Wembley means they feel they have little choice but to go all in. There’s a trophy to be won.

That just means they lose a little bit of ground on, well, the training ground after the hectic December schedule. It’s perhaps just as well for Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot, in particular, that they have the FA Cup rather than Premier League at the weekend. We can expect some drastically changed sides.

There should be a sadness to that but it does point to one of many contradictions in the modern game. Football has become so forensically systemised – to the point some call it “NFLisation” – and yet there’s so little actual time in the calendar for the elite teams to hone those systems.