The second legs of the EFL Cup semi finals take place in midweek, Wednesday sees Arsenal bid to over turn a 2 goal deficit away to Newcastle whilst on Thursday Liverpool will start their clash with Spurs at Anfield 1-0 down
Prices from Sportingbet are correct at the time of publication but subject to change.
Wednesday, Newcastle 22/10 Draw 26/10 Arsenal 23/20
It's been a month since Newcastle beat Arsenal 2-0 in the first leg at The Emirates thanks to goals from Isak and Gordon either side of half time. Newcastle's cup run started with a 2-1 win at Forest and then made home advantage count in the next 3 rounds, seeing off Wimbledon (1-0), Chelsea (2-0) and Brentford (3-1).
A good run of results in the EPL tailed off recently with back to back home defeats to Bournemouth and Fulham
Arsenal were well below par in the first leg although they did pass up a few chances. In earlier rounds the Gunners thrashed Bolton 5-1 in a home fixture, they were 3-0 winners at Preston and they booked a semi final berth with a 3-2 home win over Palace.
Arsenal are currently second in the EPL standings, 6 points behind Liverpool having played a game more and last weekend they thrashed Manchester City 5-1 in London.
The Verdict
Newcastle are the only 1 of the 4 semi finalists who are not involved in European competitions and they are very much in control. They were also 1-0 winners at home to Arsenal in the first league meeting back in November but my feeling is there is scope for a twist or two in this second leg.
It could get feisty if Arsenal start to claw their way back into the tie and Tonali is my idea of a yellow card candidate.
Bet: To be shown a card Sandro Tonali at 17/10 with Sportingbet
Thursday, Liverpool 1 / 4 Draw 6/1 Spurs 8.5/1
Liverpool put in a very rare poor performance in losing the first leg 1-0. The holders of this trophy had also faced Premier League opposition in all 3 of their earlier ties. They thrashed West Ham 5-1 at Anfield, then won 3-2 at Brighton before beating Southampton 2-1 away from home in the quarter finals.
Liverpool are now 6 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the EPL log and they have a game in hand and they have also cruised in to the UCL knockout rounds and are still involved in the FA Cup.
Lucas Bergvall scored the only goal of the first leg to give Spurs a deserved lead although there were questions as to whether he should have been red carded. In earlier rounds Spurs were 2-1 winners away to Coventry and they went on to knock out both Manchester clubs in subsequent home ties, getting the better of City (2-1) and United (4-3).
Spurs have had huge problems with injuries and Dragusin is the latest addition to a lengthy list. They did bring in another forward Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern and defender Kevin Danso joined from Lens. Watch the teams news concerning whether they are available for selection and any possible returns from the treatment room. Although Spurs were 2-0 winners at Brentford in the EPL at the weekend it's generally been tough going of late and other recent results include a 6-3 home defeat to Liverpool on 22nd December.
The Verdict
Spurs need a huge performance but are likely to come under huge pressure. I'm think Liverpool can rattle up a sizeable corner count.
Bet: Liverpool total corners over 8.5 at 23/20 with Sportingbet
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
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