Eddie Howe is not one for tub-thumping, but this? This felt like a rallying cry from the measured Newcastle United boss.

"Us and the crowd have become a really potent team together and that's what we're going to need in this game," he said ahead of the Magpies' Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg against Arsenal. "We're going to need to absolutely engage all our supporters in our energy and our body language and use every power that we possess to involve them in the game because we need to make this a really formidable environment."

Understandably so. Newcastle may be 2-0 up on aggregate, following a superb win at the Emirates last month, but there is a reason why players and staff, alike, have insisted it is only half-time in this tie. They have to finish the job at St James' Park against an Arsenal side fresh from a superb 5-1 win versus champions Manchester City.

READ MORE: Eddie Howe wants to do 'something special' at Newcastle United as Arsenal plan revealed

READ MORE: I think panic could set in at Newcastle - but Arsenal will fear one thing too

Newcastle, in contrast, have tasted defeat in each of their last two games at St James', but the visit of Arsenal tends to bring out the best in this side and this stadium. The Gunners, after all, have lost three of their last four fixtures on Tyneside.

To think Arsenal used to enjoy coming to St James' in a previous era, but something changed when these teams met under the lights in 2022. Howe invited Wor Flags to give a presentation to the squad a couple of days before the match, where volunteers spoke about the cost and effort that went into each display, and the Newcastle boss hoped the talk would inspire his players and focus minds. It certainly did that.

Newcastle may have had a wretched record against Arsenal up until that point - failing to even score against the Gunners for four years - but you would not have known it. Not by the way the players fearlessly hunted and harried, and fed off a febrile crowd. It felt like a European night - and Arsenal could not handle it.

No wonder Granit Xhaka implored his team-mates to 'play like' Newcastle at half-time because the Gunners looked like a 'second division team'. Those cutting words did not have the desired effect, though; Newcastle went on to blow the visitors away after the break to win the game 2-0.

By the time Mikel Arteta made his way into the away dressing room at full-time, the furious Arsenal boss told his players to 'shut their mouths and eat it' as the Spaniard turned the air blue and hit out at his side's 'embarrassing' performance. Cedric Soares was among those who had his head bowed. What is it about St James' on these sorts of nights?

"It's a huge stadium," the former Arsenal defender told ChronicleLive. "It's very high from when you are playing so it brings a bit of respect and, normally, players like to play in these kinds of pitches. It makes it a really special game to go there.

"But we know the public there are quite intense and super supportive so it's always a hard place to go, especially in the first 20 to 30 minutes. If Newcastle start strong, the stadium backs them up and they become stronger."

Newcastle will certainly need to race out of the blocks on Wednesday night. The first goal is always important, but it's absolutely monumental in this tie. An early opener would see Newcastle take a huge step towards Wembley but if Arsenal were to strike first, nerves could quickly spread around St James'. So how will the Gunners approach it?

"Mikel prepares every game on the details," Soares explained. "Newcastle are not an exception. He will prepare for all kinds of things that can happen in the game - the stadium, the public, the type of atmosphere they will face.

"Arsenal know Newcastle are a strong team at home so they will prepare situations where they can get out of the pressure and calm the game down sometimes and speed up the game when they have momentum. He's a very good coach and prepares all the games with a lot of detail. He will have respect for them, but they will still try to play their game."

Strap yourselves in, folks.