The start of a new year means we are getting closer to finding out who will win England’s first trophy of the season. The EFL Cup kicks off early in the season and the final is usually held towards the end of February, giving fans the opportunity to get involved in the final stages of the cup competition without having to wait until the end of the season.. Let’s take a look at the upcoming semifinals!
The reward for the winner, apart from the financial aspect and lifting the trophy, is a place in Europe, so these ‘smaller’ cup competitions often encourage smaller teams to prioritize them. Over the last few years clubs such as Southampton, Swansea, Cardiff, Bradford, Wigan and Birmingham City have all made it to the final and had their day at Wembley, with Swansea and Birmingham actually managing to win. This year, there are no surprise teams in the top four with Arsenal and Newcastle, followed by Tottenham and Liverpool. Liverpool will hope to retain the trophy they won last year, meaning Klopp’s final trophy may 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 goes for Newcastle, whose new owners are looking to win their first trophy after losing to Manchester United in the competition’s last two finals. last season. The second leg of this match will be played in the first week of February.
Arsenal vs Newcastle
Emirates Stadium, Tuesday at 21:00
Arsenal may welcome the distraction of cup competition following a frustrating draw in the league at the weekend. They were held back by Brighton and missed the opportunity to get closer to Liverpool at the top of the standings. All focus must now be on this match as they face an in-form Newcastle side in this first leg and they will want to take advantage when they travel to Newcastle in a few weeks’ time. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 13 matches in all competitions and are hoping to reach their first EFL Cup final since 2017/18. They also have an excellent home record against Newcastle, going unbeaten in 13 games at the Emirates stadium against their opponents, winning twelve of those games. Set-pieces have been key to Arsenal’s success this season and they will also be relieved that Gabriel Jesus has once again found his goalscoring boots, but Bukayo Saka will certainly be missed by them over the coming weeks.
This will be Newcastle’s second visit to North London in the last seven days following their win over Tottenham last week in the league. They are one of the best teams in the country, winning their last six games, and will hope to break a pattern of poor results when they play Arsenal in London. The fact that they do not have a major injury list to deal with this season is significant and a number of their players are in top form, particularly England winger Anthony Gordon and striker Alexander Isak. They may have to play without number one goalkeeper Nick Pope but have a capable deputy in Martin Dubravka who has solid defense in front of him.
It’s understandable that Arsenal are favorites to win this first leg, but who wins the game overall is another matter. Arsenal have won six of the last ten meetings with Newcastle managing three wins.
Tottenham vs Liverpool
Tottenham Stadium, Wednesday @21:00
After reaching the semifinals, Tottenham could almost feel their chance to win their first trophy since 2007/08, which was also the League/EFL Cup. They face a very tough task even though they beat England’s best team this season, Liverpool. They must also try to win this semifinal while continuing to face a worrying list of unavailable players. They are on a four-game winless run since a 4-3 win over Manchester United in the quarter-finals and have a squad ravaged by injuries and illness. They have moved quickly in the transfer window, adding goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky to their squad with Vicario and backup Fraser Forster unavailable. There will definitely be more newcomers in the next few weeks but it’s not yet time to play this game. They continue to attack with an attacking style with Dominic Solanke performing well up front, he will relish the opportunity to add to his tally against his former club Liverpool. Star man Dejan Kulusevski is likely to be a key player in the future and Spurs fans will be hoping for more from the likes of Son and Maddison.
Liverpool were somewhat shocked at the weekend as they were unable to beat Manchester United on home soil, although the result did little to affect their impressive PL title run. If they are able to pick up an away win against this poor Tottenham side, they will go into the second leg at home in a few weeks as favorites to make it back-to-back final appearances in the competition. If they avoid defeat in this match, it will mean they have gone on a ten-match unbeaten run in this competition. Liverpool are unbeaten on the road since April, a truly impressive achievement. Cody Gakpo has scored four goals in the competition and, having also scored at the weekend, he will be hoping to retain his place in the team and add to his tally.
Despite the visit, their recent record and Tottenham’s recent problems make Liverpool strong favorites to win this game. The last meeting between these two was a few weeks ago, a crazy 6-3 away win for Liverpool. The Reds have won seven of the last ten meetings between the two while Tottenham have managed just one win.
PS: The odds may have changed since this article was written and published.
Last Updated: 01.07.2025
