Sandro Tonali shares what the Newcastle United squad are ‘dreaming’ about that might sound ‘crazy’

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Sandro Tonali is motivated ahead of Newcastle United’s trip to Arsenal on Tuesday.

It’s Tonali’s first visit to the Emirates Stadium for Newcastle in an important Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. Newcastle are looking to reach their second Carabao Cup final in three seasons, but Tuesday’s game is set to be an incredibly tough challenge.

Newcastle haven’t won at the Emirates since November 2010, but they can take confidence from their recent performances. Eddie Howe’s side are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions.

Newcastle’s win at Tottenham on Saturday was also the first of two trips to North London in less than a week.

Tonali has garnered praise from many fans and pundits in recent weeks – even a Newcastle legend recognised his qualities, Alan Shearer said Tonali was “really, really good in midfield” following a tactical change where the Italian plays in a deeper midfield role, giving the likes of Joelinton more freedom to roam around the pitch.

Recently, Tonali talked about his aspirations for the semi-final and how Newcastle’s first-team squad are feeling behind the scenes.

Tonali says Newcastle are “dreaming” of trophy win

Newcastle aim to win their first trophy since 1969 this season. They’ve also got an FA Cup tie against Bromley to look forward to on Sunday.

For now, the attention is on the Carabao Cup – Newcastle will be eager to get a good result at the Emirates, giving them the advantage for the second leg at St James’ Park.

Tonali spoke to Sky Sports ahead of the tie.

“Maybe it’s crazy,” Tonali said.

“Maybe it’s a dream now for the fans after 70 years. Maybe we are dreaming also for us. The game will be difficult but we are Newcastle United, we need to play, do everything, run, (give) 100%.

“We play for the team, we play for the fans because they’ve dreamed of this for 70 years.

“When you arrive in the semi-final, everything is possible.”

Newcastle are without Fabian Schar and Bruno Guimaraes on Tuesday through suspension.

The silver lining is that Tonali is available for Newcastle after avoiding a booking in the Magpies win against Brentford in the quarter-final.

Tonali wins two awards at Newcastle

Tonali was electric in the quarter-final. The 24-year-old scored a brace including a fine half-volley from outside the box – his first Newcastle goal since his debut strike against Aston Villa in August 2023.

His performance and strike earned him the Carabao Cup’s Player and Goal of the Round awards.

“I am really proud to receive these awards,” Tonali said on Newcastle’s website.

“The Brentford game was a special night for me, and I was very happy to help the team reach the semi-final. The Carabao Cup is an important competition for us and we want to keep going in this direction.”