“It definitely would concern me” - Alan Shearer shares what Arsenal must do to overturn 2-0 deficit and beat Newcastle in Carabao Cup semi-final

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer believes Arsenal will have to score early to overturn a 2-0 deficit against the Magpies in the Carabao Cup semifinal. The two teams will face each other at St. James' Park for the second leg on Wednesday, February 5.

The Gunners lost the first leg at home, and have an uphill task against Newcastle this week. However, the north London side arrive at the game in inspired form, having demolished Manchester City 5-1 in the Premier League over the weekend.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, as cited by The Metro, Shearer expressed concern about his former side's form heading into the game.

"Very twitchy. The one thing we don’t want is Arsenal to score early because I would bet the tension around the ground will be off the charts. It definitely would concern me because the previous home game against Bournemouth they got battered. They didn’t deserve anything out of yesterday’s game with Fulham," said Shearer.

He continued:

"Another home game on Wednesday evening, a really, really important one. But they have got a 2-0 lead going into this one, which is slightly different. There’s not going to be a question of are they going to be up for it or the atmosphere or anything like that. So the atmosphere will be off the charts. But I think what is key is we must not concede an early goal."

Interestingly, Arsenal have scored seven goals in the first half in the last six games, including Martin Odegaard's second-minute opener against Manchester City.

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How many goals have Arsenal scored this season?

Mikel Arteta

Arsenal lack a proven No. 9 in their squad, but that hasn't stopped them from scoring goals for fun this campaign. The Gunners have found the back of the net 77 times in 37 games.

Mikel Arteta's team are currently second in the Premier League after 24 games, six points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand. The north London side have scored 49 goals and conceded 22 in the league this season.

Arsenal finished third in the Champions League table in the group stages, winning six of their eight games. They have scored 16 goals and conceded just three in Europe so far.

The Gunners have also been in good form in the EFL Cup so far, registering 11 goals from four games and conceding five. They were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United in the Third Round.