Eddie Howe says he has not decided who will replace Bruno Guimaraes as captain for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Arsenal.

The Newcastle United head coach has a number of candidates including Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Martin Dubravka, depending on his team selection. But he admitted that the absence of Bruno, who is banned for the tie in North London, will be a major blow.

If Howe decides to rest either Lewis Hall or Tino Livramento, Trippier would be a prime choice to come in and help bring freshness to the side.

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Speaking about Trippier, Howe told Chronicle Live at his press conference: "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."

When asked who could replace Bruno, with Trippier and Burn able to do the job in recent times when the Brazilian was not on the field, Howe said: "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."

Howe feels regardless of who ends up being skipper at the Emirates, his team are highly motivated for the task in hand. Howe spoke of the mood around the camp ahead of the biggest game of the season.

He said: "Of course, we have big games and we're doing well in the big games at the moment, so I think naturally that brings a good feeling to what we're doing. But it's a two-way thing, of course. We have to provide the right conditions for the players and try to give them the right structure within the team for them to play well and enjoy their football.

"But of course, they have to do their part and they have to play well, and they certainly are at the moment. The mood around the club, if you're talking about the training ground, which is where we spend most of our time, has been consistent. It has been good.

"The staff here are good, very positive people. The players have always been positive and even when results weren't so good and there were perceived negative responses around everything the players were good and I had no issues with our general feeling.

"Of course it helps when you win and that gives you a natural boost so the players, I'd say, are in a good place at the moment but we know we take nothing for granted. Every game we approach in the same way."