The Carabao Cup semi-finals will begin with Arsenal hosting Newcastle and Tottenham taking on Liverpool, marking the approach to crucial matches in England’s second most prestigious cup competition.
As the Carabao Cup enters its final stages, teams are vying to secure their place at Wembley for the final scheduled for Sunday January 16. The four competing clubs—Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham—will face each other in the first legs of their semi-finals on January 7 and 8.
Unlike previous rounds, the Carabao Cup semi-finals are played in two legs, home and away, with these matches representing the first encounters; the return matches will take place in early February.
Arsenal host a Newcastle team in excellent form. The Magpies return to north London on Tuesday after beating their long-time rivals Tottenham 2-1 last Saturday. Alexander Isak, currently one of England’s hottest strikers, played a key role in this victory, scoring 9 goals in his last 8 games (7 in the league and 1 in the cup). He heads to the Emirates Stadium in fine form, adding a significant attacking threat for manager Eddie Howe, as Newcastle hope to extend their winning run to six games.
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On the other hand, Mikel Arteta’s side dropped points in their quest for leadership in the Premier League with a draw against Brighton, making it imperative to get a good result going into the second leg. With Bukayo Saka on the sidelines due to a long-term injury, Arsenal are aiming to reach the League Cup final for the first time since the 2017/18 season. They have an impressive record against Newcastle at home, remaining unbeaten in 13 consecutive meetings, with 12 wins and 1 draw.
It’s been more than 17 years since Tottenham Hotspur lifted a trophy, it was the League Cup during the 2007/2008 season. Their last appearance in the final dates back to 2021, but luck did not smile on them at the time. Now the north London side will hope to start strong in this semi-final against Arne Slot’s formidable Liverpool, the undisputed Premier League leaders looking to bounce back from a recent setback. Liverpool drew 2-2 with Manchester United in a thrilling encounter at Anfield and they will be hoping to get back to winning ways with a success at the Tottenham Stadium that would put them on course for the final. On the other hand, Ange Postecoglou’s team enters this match in their worst form of the season, having lost three of their last four matches, conceding a total of 11 goals.
