The Carabao Cup semi-final draw pitted Arsenal against their arch-rivals Chelsea while Premier League leaders Manchester City got giant-killers Bristol City with the battle for the first trophy of the English footballing season having only four contenders left.
Carabao Cup semi-final first legs
Chelsea v Arsenal
Manchester City v Bristol City
Carabao Cup semi-final second legs
Arsenal v Chelsea
Bristol City v Manchester City
Arsenal beat the likes of Doncaster Rovers and Norwich before edging London rivals West Ham United 1-0 in their quarter-final on Tuesday to progress to the last four.
Chelsea thrashed Nottingham Forest, edged Everton and eked out a narrow 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals.
Manchester City beat West Bromwich Albion before edging Wolverhampton Wanderers and—on Tuesday— Leicester City, in back-to-back penalty shootouts to remain on course for a quadruple.
Bristol City’s path has been the most interesting of all the semi-finalists for they started their campaign with a thumping of Plymouth and then knocked out three Premier League sides (Watford, Stoke and Crystal Palace) before stunning holders Manchester United 2-1 on Wednesday night.
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The Carabao Cup semi-final ties will take place over two legs with the first games scheduled to be played in the week commencing 8th January 2018, and the reverse fixtures in the week commencing 22nd January 2018.
While the Arsenal-Chelsea clash is the highlight tie for obvious reasons, all eyes will be on the second semi-final as Manchester City, who have been unstoppable in the Premier League so far, take on underdogs Bristol City.
Must read: Bristol City stun holders Manchester United
Not many are giving the Championship side a chance against Pep Guardiola’s irrepressible unit, but the fact that they have already beaten several big names this season suggests they shouldn’t be taken lightly.