Eddie Howe drops selection hint for Arsenal clash when discussing who will captain the side in Bruno Guimaraes' absence

Bruno Guimaraes is suspended for the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg clash between Newcastle United and Arsenal on Tuesday night.

Filling Bruno's spot on the pitch is a big enough task as it is, but after Eddie Howe named the Brazilian as captain this season, he now has the secondary task of deciding who wears the armband on Tuesday.

Kieran Trippier is the current club captain but is also not a regular feature in the starting XI, although recently his performances have been much more akin to what we've come to expect from the former England star.

Dan Burn has deputised as captain a few times, too, and is more nailed-on to start against Arsenal.

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Eddie Howe spoke highly of Kieran Trippier's leadership qualities

Indeed, Eddie Howe was asked about who would be wearing the armband on Tuesday night and he told reporters (via The Chronicle), that he has several options in mind.

"We have a few players who have those (leadership) credentials. Trips is a player who always lends his experience to every moment that we are in.

"At Spurs he was ill before the game, but he was first class before the game and helping them during and after. First-class professional. He has been excellent in the last few weeks coming back into the team and playing as well as he has.

"But he always helps and there are three or four others that help with big game experiences that can help as well. As a group, we are pretty experienced now. I don't look at that as a weakness."

Has Eddie Howe dropped a hint that Kieran Trippier will start on Tuesday night?

That does hint that Kieran Trippier could be selected to start on Tuesday night over Tino Livramento, although we've suggested playing both at right-back and right centre-back in the absence of Fabian Schar, and with it being a quick turnaround between games, Howe could be tempted to rest Sven Botman for this one.

Eddie Howe thinks he knows which way he's going with it.

"It is a tight call. We have three or four options. I have a good idea in my own mind which way I might go but it is a tight call."

We're going to ponder on it further before dropping our predicted starting lineup.