"We hope to be a different animal" - O'Carroll on PL2 last-16 play-off draw | OneFootball

The young Magpies finished in ninth place of the 26-team division, gaining qualification for the play-offs with a game to spare, and will face an away trip against the North London outfit, who finished one point above Newcastle's youngsters to gain home advantage.

Following a 4-1 defeat against the Gunners at Meadow Park, United's second-string recorded four wins from their final five league matches, scoring 16 goals in the process, and O'Carroll believes his side are more than capable of booking their place in the quarter-final stages.

O'Carroll, who joined the Magpies from Scottish Premiership side St Mirren in September 2024, told newcastleunited.com: "It'll be a really good test for the lads because we've already played against them and they were a good side. They're not unbeatable by any means and we were poor for our own standards and level at the time so we would hope to be a different animal to when we faced them last time out.

"We'll have footage we can use from that game to understand what their threats are and where their best players are but, also, it can give the lads an incentive to prove they're not that team.

"They got beat 4-1 comfortably and, as I said in the dressing room after the Manchester City game (on Monday), it's up to them what they want from the rest of the season. They can have either one playoff game or have a real blast at it and make a mark."

With the Round of 16 tie due to take place between 25-28 April, O'Carroll is hopeful for a welcomed return of attacking duo Trevan Sanusi and Ben Parkinson.

Sanusi, a representative of England at under-18 level, made his professional debut during the Magpies' Emirates FA Cup third round win against Bromley in January while Parkinson, who made his Premier League bow for his boyhood club against AFC Bournemouth in November 2023, is the club's top goalscorer at under-21 level so far this term, netting 12 times across all competitions.

The Irish coach added: "We'll have to look at scheduling and when the game would be but we're excited that Trevan (Sanusi) and Parky (Ben Parkinson) are both on their way back from injury and we'll have a competitive squad for it.

"It adds a bit more depth to what we're all about. Trevan has clear quality but he's missed a lot of games due to injury and had a disruptive season. There's high hopes for him at the club and he's worked really hard now.

"We're hoping we can kick on until the end of the season so the more games we get, self-esteem would be great for both to get some form and really push."

O'Carroll, also a senior coach with Northern Ireland, reflected positively on his side's 2024/25 campaign and praised the youngsters making the step from under-18 to under-21 level following loan departures during the January transfer window.

"We've worked so hard to get into the play-offs," he added. "It's a club effort from top to bottom. We've had a lot of under-18s players coming up, particularly after Christmas. We've bought into a loan strategy where the likes of Charlie (McArthur) and Travis (Hernes) have gone out and done well and it's given opportunities to other players.

"We've also had positives with players going into the first-team so it's been a really good period and managed to turn results around and do ourselves justice. We picked up 13 points more than last season, finishing in the top ten and there's a lot of things we can build on for the next stage of the season.

"Like any game you go into, you want the lads to do themselves justice. If they do that, we believe in the quality they have and the level of player they are. They're a tight-knit group who'll fight and look out for each other and they've enjoyed winning games."