It is the Carabao Cup semi-finals draw tonight.
The question is, who do you want Newcastle United to get in the draw?
Newcastle United dominated and were worth far more than their eventual 3-1 victory over Brentford.
Whilst also on Wednesday night, both Liverpool and Arsenal reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals as well.
Narrow single goal victories against Southampton and Crystal Palace respectively.
We then have Spurs v Man U on Thursday night (tonight), before then the draw for the Carabao Cup semi-finals is made.
The question we asked earlier today was: ‘So which of the four clubs would you like Newcastle United to be drawn against for the two-legged Carabao Cup semi-finals?’
Our snap poll is now closed and here we have the results of the collective opinion of Newcastle United fans voting, as to who we’d like to get drawn against in these Carabao Cup semi-finals tonight.
Percentage of fans (rounded up or down to nearest whole number) who voted for each club they’d prefer United to play in the semi-finals:
43% – Tottenham
40% – Man U
11% – Liverpool
6% – Arsenal
It was neck and neck all the way between Tottenham and Man U, with Spurs just shading the most preferred opponent vote.
However, one thing for sure, the Newcastle United fans voting, overwhelmingly want whoever wins tonight’s match, as NUFC’s semi-final opponent.
The semi-final draw is scheduled to be around 10,30pm tonight and can be watched on Sky Sports, following the Spurs v Man U match. Below, you can see some more details regarding the Carabao Cup seni-finals.
BBC Sport report – 19 December 2024:
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.’