That's it for today folks!

Thanks as always for joining us on another busy day on the live text. Hopefully tonight's game throws up plenty of talking points for us to pore over in the morning. Take care!

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It won't be until nearly a month after the first legs that we will know who among Arsenal and Newcastle United will progress to the title clash of the Carabao Cup.

The second leg of the semi-final tie at St James' Park will only be played on 5 February with the kick-off time set at 20:00 GMT.

Tottenham and Liverpool will meet in the first leg of the other last-four tie in north London tomorrow with the return leg at Anfield slated for 6 February.

Newcastle have won three of their last six meetings with Arsenal, but those victories all came at St James' Park.

The most recent of those was a 1-0 win on 2 November, courtesy of an Alexander Isak goal.

However, the Magpies haven't won away at Arsenal since November 2010, when Andy Carroll scored the only goal in a 1-0 win.

Should Eddie Howe's side avoid defeat at the Emirates, then they'll be confident of finishing the job at home on 5 February.

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Matt from Liverpool has a point about Arsenal and Newcastle time-wasting...

According to Opta, Arsenal players have received nine yellow cards for time-wasting in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.

Joint-third in the rankings? Newcastle, with six bookings.

Newcastle United

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Eddie Howe and Newcastle United have a monumental task on their hands when they face Arsenal in the two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final tie.

The Magpies will hope to move one step closer to ending a 55-year trophy drought with a win in the first leg at Emirates Stadium - with the 1969 European Fairs Cup their last major honour.

Newcastle defeated Hungarian side Ujpesti Dozsa 6-2 on aggregate in the final of the competition that would become the Uefa Cup two years later.

Their last domestic triumph goes further back when they lifted the FA Cup (pictured above) by beating Manchester City 3-1 in the 1955 final at Wembley Stadium.

Howe's side were one win away from breaking the wait for silverware in 2023, but lost the Carabao Cup final to Manchester United.

Arsenal

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Mikel Arteta is expecting "a big atmosphere" at Emirates Stadium tonight as he sets his sights on winning a second silverware of his five-year reign at Arsenal.

The Spaniard won his first and, so far, only major silverware as Arsenal boss when they overcame Chelsea to lift the FA Cup in 2020.

"I’m very positive that we’re going to create a big atmosphere against a really good opposition in the semi-final of the cup that we want to win, so let’s go for it,” Arteta said ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg clash against Newcastle United.

"We’re very excited to play the game in front of our crowd. It's a semi-final and an opportunity to earn the right to be in a final and that starts with two legs.

"Obviously they’re going to be two long games against a very competitive team, we know that, but very excited and we need a big, big atmosphere in our stadium."

Newcastle United

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Newcastle will be without their captain Bruno Guimaraes for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal as the midfielder serves a one-match suspension.

Eddie Howe will also be without the services of Fabian Schar, who also picked up a yellow card in their 3-1 win against Brentford in the last round.

"It's a big blow. One of Bruno's biggest strengths is that he is always there for you. He's going to be a big miss but we have big players who can fill his shoes," Howe said.

The high-flying Magpies were further boosted by the return of centre-back Sven Botman from a long injury lay-off in Saturday's 2-1 win against Tottenham, but striker Callum Wilson remains on the sidelines.

Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, who is linked with a January move to Saudi Arabia's Al-Shabab, could play his final game in Newcastle colours.

Arsenal

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed that Ethan Nwaneri will be out "for a few weeks" after picking up a "muscular injury" in the 1-1 draw against Brighton on Saturday.

It adds to the woes of the Spanish manager, who had used the 17-year-old on the right-hand side following the hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka.

The Gunners are also dealing with an illness in their camp with Kai Havertz a doubt for the semi-final first leg after missing the past two games.

Martin Odegaard, however, should be in contention for a start after only making the bench during the weekend while Raheem Sterling is also approaching full fitness after recovering from a knee injury.

Defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, meanwhile, remain long-term absentees.

Right, let's look ahead to tonight's big game, which sees Arsenal host Newcastle in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

Arsenal are looking to win silverware for the first time since 2020, while Newcastle - beaten finalists in 2023 - are looking to end their 55-year trophy drought.

Who do we think is going to take an advantage into the second leg next month?

Remember to leave your name at the end of messages folks, we've got a fair few anons knocking about!

Thanks Ann. Who are the current 15-year rise team going under the radar?

Fulham? Bournemouth?

Go check those three stories out at your leisure. That last one is particularly good ;)

Have a look, I could do with the extra viewing figures!

Rodri. Nicolas Jackson. Pau Torres. Alex Baena.

All are world-renowned players, so it's perhaps surprising that they are all products of the same youth academy: Villarreal.

The town of Villarreal has a population of just 50,000, but over the last 25 years they have consistently overachieved both at home and in Europe.

Joe Rindl spoke to star attacker Alex Baena and chief executive Fernando Roig to find out how exactly Villarreal have done it.

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Thomas Tuchel's appointment as England men's boss sparked plenty of debate about the standing of English coaches in the world game.

With a non-English manager chosen to lead the Three Lions into the 2026 World Cup, you'd be forgiven for thinking English coaches aren't cut out for the international game. That isn't the case though.

From Pakistan to the United States, Jamaica to Grenada, the influence of England-born coaches is global, as Chris Evans explains.

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Arsenal beware: Alexander Isak is in town.

With 13 goals in 18 Premier League games this season - nine of those coming in his last seven outings - the Swedish striker is on track to have his best season since joining Newcastle in 2022.

Isak showed enough potential at Real Sociedad to convince Newcastle to invest in him, but in his third season on Tyneside he has reached a completely different level.

Newcastle have not won a trophy in 55 years. Can Isak help end the drought?

Harry De Cosemo has taken a deep-dive into Isak's journey to the top.

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Only time will tell if any of those moves materialise.

We'll start building up to tonight's match between Arsenal and Newcastle shortly.

But, while we've got a bit of time, it's only right to highlight some of today's best features and longer reads on the BBC Sport website.