The draw for the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup took place on Thursday evening, after Tottenham's 4-3 victory over Manchester United.
After reaching the semi-finals for the fourth time in the last seven seasons, Ange Postecoglou's Spurs side will take on Liverpool in the last four, with the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Arne Slot's Reds defeated Southampton 2-1 on Wednesday evening.
Newcastle – who beat Brentford 3-1 in the quarter-finals – will face Arsenal – who defeated Crystal Palace thanks to Gabriel Jesus' hat-trick – in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium.
The draw means there is still a possibility for a derby final in North London.
The Carabao Cup semi-finals will take place over two legs, spread over the week commencing January 6 and the week commencing February 3.
Every match of this season's competition can be watched live on Sky Sports.
Arsenal's headache
Like many teams battling on all fronts, Arsenal's January commitments are not favourable. Eight matches in three different competitions, and that's before a Carabao Cup semi-final date is confirmed, rounding the total to nine.
The way Mikel Arteta handles such a packed schedule could make or break their season. The new year starts with visits to Brentford and Brighton, followed by a series of four home games, hosting Man Utd in the FA Cup, Tottenham in the North London derby, Aston Villa and Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
The month ends with trips to Wolves and finally Girona.
It is an exhausting program for a team that is not yet blessed with particularly convincing strength in depth. The Gunners' second-string side needed reinforcements from the bench – Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka – to beat Crystal Palace in the quarter-final and one suspects that a similar XI, without the two mentioned, would not have enough firepower to take on March's showpiece to reach.
Arteta will have to find the perfect balance to stay afloat.
Can Liverpool keep the momentum going into January?
Liverpool don't have the toughest Carabao Cup semi-finalists on paper in January, but they do face a trip to Brentford, who are still unbeaten on home soil, and host Man Utd – who have just won at the Etihad – in their first match of the competition. 2025.
Nottingham Forest are also not top performers at the City Ground. But there could also be some opportunities to rotate – Accrington Stanley, Ipswich and Lille visit Anfield and although a final Champions League group game at PSV isn't the easiest, Liverpool could have taken top spot in the first phase by then – and can use again a few squad players.
There's also the small matter of a Merseyside derby having to be rearranged – although in an already busy January, that will probably have to wait until February at least.
Tottenham's difficult run was already being stretched
Tottenham's selection problems in key areas, particularly defensively, have done little to help Postecoglou build upward momentum in north London and he now faces a tough January as the club look for their first silverware in 16 year.
Newcastle visit London before what should be a routine trip to Tamworth in the FA Cup third round, but then a derby with Arsenal, visits to Everton and Hoffenheim and home games with Leicester and Elfsborg round off a busy month.
Freshness could give Newcastle the edge
Unlike their semi-final rivals, Newcastle have no European football to contend with in January, which could be the marginal gain Eddie Howe wants to exploit over the other three teams.
Even after their first leg against Arsenal, it is Sky Bet League Two's Bromley at home in the FA Cup at St James' Park, meaning Howe can rotate if necessary. Home matches in the Premier League against Wolves and Bournemouth will follow. It could be much worse.
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