Carabao Cup semi-finals first leg preview

It’s a busy start to 2025 in English football, with the first legs of the two Carabao Cup semi-finals kicking off this week.

Tuesday sees Arsenal host Newcastle, followed by Liverpool making the trip down to London to face Tottenham on Wednesday evening. Our blog previews the two first leg ties.

Bet on the Carabao Cup here with William Hill

Arsenal vs Newcastle

The first match of the Carabao Cup semi-finals sees Arsenal hosting Newcastle at the Emirates. The Gunners are currently favoured at odds of 4/7 to qualify the final, and a slightly longer 7/10 to win Tuesday evening’s tie.

Both sides arrive to the Emirates in varying levels of form. Arsenal fans would’ve felt aggrieved following their 1-1 draw with Brighton after a contentious penalty was awarded to the Seagulls, leading to João Pedro’s equaliser. Arsenal didn’t lose any ground in the title race after Liverpool’s draw against Manchester United, but it will feel like two points lost, rather than one gained.

Newcastle, on the other hand, arrive in London flying high after a brilliant away win at the Gunners’ North London neighbours Tottenham. Forwards Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon were on the scoresheet, and they are in great form currently.

Usually, with domestic cup competitions we often see a rotated starting side to allow key players to rest and recover amongst the busy schedule, but due to the stage we are at now, there’s no reason to believe that both sides won’t go strong as a trophy is desperately needed by both.

It’s hard to see past Arsenal across the tie, but Newcastle will cause them problems and it may be worth looking at some selections in the Goalscorer market. Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon are 15/8 and 4/1 to score respectively, they look good prices and the Impact Sub offer covers your bet if they are to come off.

Tottenham vs Liverpool

Wednesday evening has a repeat of the 2018/19 Champions League final as Tottenham face Liverpool. The stakes aren’t as high this time around, but a trophy for either side this season is important and it’s a great opportunity for some silverware.

Both sides had a disappointing weekend in the context of their own campaigns. Liverpool would’ve wanted to take three points from their home tie against Manchester United to extend their advantage at the top of the Premier League table, they had to settle for a draw in the end, with Tottenham once again showing defensive fragilities, losing to 2-1 to fellow semi-finalists Newcastle.

United showed that you can threaten Liverpool at the back and Spurs will want to put that theory to the test in front of their home fans. Ange Postecoglou’s side look increasingly unlikely to keep the ball out of their own net as their defensive woes continue, so they will likely have to outscore Liverpool over the two legs.

BTTS and over 3.5 goals can be combined in the Bet Builder at odds of 5/6, this looks a sporting selection in a game where both sides are struggling defensively.

Check out the latest odds on football with William Hill here