A ninth League Cup final is at stake for Arsenal when they take on Newcastle United in the semi-final second-leg fixture at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening. But they’ve got a mountain to climb if they want to get to Wembley, with the Gunners 2-0 down on aggregate going into the game. After a scintillating display against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the weekend when they put five past Pep Guardiola’s side, and with Newcastle falling to back-to-back home defeats, Arteta’s men will feel the game has come at just the right time.

Spurs, on the other hand, take a slender 1-0 lead to Liverpool on Thursday night. That raises the exciting prospect of a fiery North London derby in the final if they can upset the odds and produce another fine performance against Arne Slot’s table-toppers to match their first-leg heroics. We’ve teamed up with bet365 to bring you the odds ahead of a top-flight, semi-final showdown. No team has finished League Cup runners-up more times than Arsenal. The Gunners have lost a total of six of their final appearances in the competition, a record they certainly won’t want to add to if they make it to Wembley this time around.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are aiming to reach the final for the third time in their history. Eddie Howe’s side will be buoyed by their recent form against the Londoners, which has seen them win four of their last seven meetings against their opponents in all competitions, including a 1-0 home win in the Premier League back in November. They’ve also won their last seven home games in the League Cup, keeping five clean sheets and conceding just two goals.

However, they’ve never beaten Arsenal in three different matches in a single campaign before. Arsenal have lost just one of their last 10 away games in the League Cup, winning five and drawing four. They’ve also kept eight clean sheets in that run. Mikel Arteta’s side will feel they were unlucky in the first leg, producing a staggering 23 shots during the match. This fixture comes off the back of a thumping 5-1 win over Manchester City, with teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri scoring the pick of the bunch.

Newcastle 21/10, Draw 27/10, Arsenal 23/20. Liverpool have won the League Cup an impressive 10 times, making them the most successful team in the competition's history. But they’ll need to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they take on Tottenham at Anfield on Thursday evening if they’re to have any chance of making it 11. And recent history between the two sides suggests they’ve got a good chance. The Reds have lost just one of their last 27 home games against Spurs in all competitions, winning 19 and drawing seven.

If Ange Postecoglu’s side do manage to triumph over the Premier League leaders, it will be the first time they have beaten Liverpool twice in the same season since 2010/11, when they did the double over them in the Premier League. Liverpool are unbeaten in their last nine home games in the League Cup, winning four and drawing five, and winning the last four in a row by an aggregate score of 15-4. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been involved in nine goals in his last six appearances against Tottenham in all competitions, scoring six and assisting three.

Liverpool 2/9, Draw 6/1, Tottenham 11/1. Significant Open Account Offer T&Cs. Open Account Offer Full Terms and Conditions. bet365 is committed to safer gambling. It promotes gambling as a leisure activity and believes that gambling can only remain this way if you stay in control and gamble responsibly. However, bet365 knows that, for some people, gambling can stop being a harmless leisure activity and become a problem. Help is close at hand. Visit www.gamcare.org.uk or contact the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.