Loris Karius starts for Newcastle on Carabao Cup Final weekend for the second year running - Team News

Newcastle United are set to take on Arsenal at the Emirates stadium in the Premier League - Kick-off is at 8pm live on TNT Sports.

In a surprise bit of team news, Loris Karius, whose only senior start for Newcastle came one year ago in the Carabao Cup final. is deployed between the sticks again as Martin Dubravka misses out having not travelled with the squad for reasons unknown at this point.

We were hoping for a change but this one wasn't one that was on our list, not that we have a problem with Karius, we thought he handled himself well last year and we hope he can do the same, but the poor bugger can't just be dropped into an easy game can he?

He did it, Eddie Howe actually did it

The one unforced change that we all hoped for has occurred. Dan Burn drops to the bench at Tino Livramento starts.

We genuinely thought that Eddie Howe would be too stubborn to make the change we all saw needed making, but he's gone with his head over his heart it seems.

Everyone could see what a problem it would be to have Dan Burn up against Bukayo Saka, we need Livramento's pace to stand a chance of containing him.

Alexander Isak starts with Joe Willock on the bench

There doesn't appear to be a change in system, however, with a lot of fans online hoping for a five at the back to try and snuff out the Arsenal danger, but Howe has stuck with his guns on that one.

Alexander Isak is in from the start which we kind of suspected may happen with him being so close to a return last week, but Joe Willock has to make do with a place on the bench.

We're all just hoping Karius isn't too rusty, aren't we?