The start of the new year means that we are close to finding out who will win England’s first silverware of the season. The EFL Cup starts at the start of the season and the finals are held at the end of February, giving fans the chance to enter the final stages of the competition without having to wait until the end of the season.. Let’s watch the next semi-final!
The prize for the winner, apart from money and more trophies, is a place in Europe, so this ‘small’ cup competition encourages smaller teams to give it priority. In recent years clubs such as Southampton, Swansea, Cardiff, Bradford, Wigan and Birmingham City have all qualified for the final and had a day at Wembley, with Swansea and Birmingham actually winning. This year, there is no surprise team in the last four with Arsenal and Newcastle along with Tottenham and Liverpool. Liverpool will be hoping to retain the trophy they won last year, which means that Klopp’s last trophy could be Slot’s first. Tottenham fans are desperate for any silverware and this is certainly one of their best chances of winning something, and the same can be said for Newcastle, whose new owners will be keen to win their first trophy. after losing to Manchester United in the last two leagues. past circumstances. The second games of these games will be played in the first week of February.
Arsenal vs Newcastle
Emirates Stadium, Tuesday at 21:00
Arsenal could be welcoming the collapse of the cup following a draw at the weekend. Brighton held them and missed the opportunity to get closer to Liverpool at the top of the table. The focus now has to be on this game as they face an experienced Newcastle side in their first game and they will want to capitalize on that when they face Newcastle in a few weeks time. Arsenal are unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions and are hoping to reach their first EFL Cup final since 2017/18. They also have a good record at home against Newcastle, they are unbeaten in 13 games played at the Emirates Stadium against their opponents, where they have won twelve games. Set-up has been key to Arsenal’s success this season and they will be delighted to have Gabriel Jesus back in goal-scoring boots, but Bukayo Saka will be sorely missed in the coming weeks.
This is the second time that Newcastle will visit North London in the last seven days after their victory over Tottenham last week in the league. They are one of the top teams in the country, winning their last six games, and they will hope to break the losing streak in the game Arsenal will play in London. The fact that they don’t have a long list of injuries to deal with this season is important and many of their players have been outstanding, especially Englishman Anthony Gordon and striker Alexander Isak. They may be able to manage without their number one goalkeeper Nick Pope but they have a solid assistant in Martin Dubravka who is a solid defense in front of him.
Arsenal are the favorites to win this first leg, but the overall winner is a different matter. Arsenal have won six of their ten games with Newcastle winning three.
Liverpool vs Tottenham
Tottenham Stadium, Wednesday at 21:00
With Tottenham reaching the semi-finals, they can almost feel their chances of winning their first trophy since 2007/08, which is the League/EFL. They face a very difficult task even though they won against the best team in England this season, Liverpool. They must also try to win this semi-final as they continue to compete against a list of players who will not be available. They are without a win in four games since beating Manchester United 4-3 in the semi-finals and have a squad struggling with injury and illness. They moved quickly in the transfer market, adding goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky to their ranks while both Vicario and Fraser Forster were unavailable. Of course there will be more arrivals in the coming weeks but not during this game. They continue to fire in attack with Dominic Solanke playing well up front, he will relish the chance to add to his goalscoring tally against former club Liverpool. Star striker Dejan Kulusevski could be a key player going forward and Spurs fans will be hoping for more from Son and Maddison.
Liverpool were surprised at the weekend as they failed to beat Manchester United at home, although the result did not affect their success in the PL. If they can manage to win away to a similar Tottenham side, they will play the second leg at home in a few weeks as favorites to make it back to the finals of this competition. If they avoid defeat in this game, it means that they have managed to play ten games without being defeated in this competition. Liverpool haven’t lost at home since April, a very impressive run. Cody Gakpo has scored four goals in this competition already and, after scoring at the weekend, he will be hoping to stay in the club and add more goals.
Despite the fact that they are away from home, their recent history and the problems faced by Tottenham in the past show that Liverpool is the frontrunner to win this game. The last meeting between these two was just a few weeks ago, a game in which Liverpool beat them 6-3 away from home. The Reds have won seven of the last ten meetings between these two while Tottenham have only one win.
PS: Odds may have changed since this article was written and published.
Last updated: 07.01.2025
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