Carabao Cup semi-final draw – Newcastle United get Arsenal | OneFootball

The Carabaos Cup semi-final draw has been made, Newcastle United drawing Arsenal.

The other last four two-legged match is Tottenham v Liverpool.

Arsenal v Newcastle and Tottenham v Liverpool

The perceived draw advantage is for Newcastle United and Liverpool, as they will play the second legs at their own grounds.

The Carabao Cup semi-finals will take place across two legs – the first in the week commencing Monday 6 January 2025, and the second in the week of Monday 3 February 2025.

Three teams have already secured their spots in the Carabao Cup semi-finals – Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Either Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United will join them after their quarter-final tie on Thursday.

The draw will take place straight after that match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – there is coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live from 19:00 GMT.

The semi-final draw will take place at around 22:30 GMT.

When are the semi-finals being played?

The Carabao Cup semi-finals take place across two legs – the first in the week commencing 6 January 2025, and the second in the week of 3 February 2025.

The semis have been held over two legs since the tournament first took place in 1960. But this format has recently come under scrutiny.

A single-leg tie has been suggested to help ease current headaches around fixture congestion and match scheduling.

But earlier this year, EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said two-legged semis “provide significant financial benefit to EFL clubs”, and would not be scrapped without “significant levels of compensation”.

The final will take place on 16 March 2025 at Wembley Stadium.

Is there VAR in the Carabao Cup?

So far, VAR has not been used in the tournament this season. VAR will be introduced for the semi-final matches, and for the final at Wembley Stadium.

The use of VAR in Carabao Cup matches is decided by the EFL,, external which – as well as deciding not to use the technology – can also insist a club installs the systems at their stadium for a semi-final tie.

Last year, VAR was not used until the final. This is because Middlesbrough – a Championship club – made it through to the final four, and did not have the technology at their home stadium.

The EFL deemed it unfair for the other semi-final match to use VAR.

Will semi-final matches go to extra time?

No extra time is played in matches up to and including the quarter-finals. If the match ends as a draw at full-time, a penalty shootout will decide the winner.

EFL clubs voted to scrap extra time in the Carabao Cup before the 2018-19 season.

For the second leg of the semi-final and the final, an extra half-hour will be played before going to penalties, should the score remain level.’