• What: EFL Cup Picks
  • When: Semi-Final First Leg Matches Tuesday, January 13 and Wednesday, January 14, 2026
  • Where: St. James' Park and Stamford Bridge
  • Watch: CBS, Paramount+

Manchester City and Arsenal are battling it out for top honors in the English Premier League, and these two sides are also the betting choices in the EFL Cup picks as the clubs enter the semifinal stage of the competition.

Arsenal is a +130 choice in the soccer betting picks to win its opening semifinal leg against Chelsea. Meanwhile, Manchester City is set as the +110 favorite in the soccer betting odds to get the better of visiting Newcastle United in the other semifinal opener.

Let's look at the latest English Football League Cup semi-final betting lines. Remember, the odds are always subject to change.

EFL Cup Semi-Final OddsThe PickBovadaBetUSBetOnline
Newcastle United vs Manchester CityMan City+110+115+118
Chelsea vs ArsenalArsenal+130+135+132

Second-leg matches in the semifinals will be played on February 3-4.

Best EFL Cup Betting Tips

If you're new to betting on soccer, not to worry. Our soccer betting page is chock full of the best wagering advice and handy betting tips. If you are a soccer bettor and you enjoy wagering on knockout cup competitions, the UK offers plenty of opportunities to do so. The FA Cup just completed the third round of that competition. You can find all the information you'll need to do so at our informative FA Cup betting page.

The EFL Cup is a months-long competition, but thanks to your mobile device, you'll never be more than moments away from placing your English League Cup wagers. Take advantage of the top mobile betting apps to place a bet wherever you might be in the course of your day.

EFL Cup SemiFinal Betting Picks

Newcastle United are the reigning EFL Cup winners.

The last club to win successive titles was Manchester City. Man City won four EFL Cups in a row from 2018-2021

Newcastle United vs Manchester City

The Cityzens are second in the English Premier League, six points behind Arsenal, but they are coming on like a freight train. Manchester City has nine wins and three draws over the club's past 12 matches. They will be coming into this match off a stunning 10-1 drubbing of Exeter City in the third round of the FA Cup.

In the offseason, Man City manager Pep Guardiola revamped his coaching staff. He believes that his club has rediscovered the energy and swagger that made it the scourge of the EPL for many seasons.

It's been an up-and-down campaign for the Cup holders. In the last two matches, Newcastle needed four goals to beat Leeds United and then 10 goals to topple Bournemouth on penalties in an FA Cup third-round match.

Newcastle has won four in a row. However, before that, the club won just once in five matches. That victory was a 2-1 verdict over Fulham in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.

Pick: Newcastle has lost just once in the last five home matches against Manchester City. That includes a 2-1 win at home in EPL play earlier this season. However, they haven't beaten Manchester City in two consecutive matches since 2003. Play the away side to win here.

Chelsea vs Arsenal

These old rivals clashed in the 2007 EFL Cup final, with Chelsea prevailing 2-1. Chelsea ended a five-match losing skid with a 5-1 rout of Charlton Athletic in FA Cup third-round play.

Arsenal is unbeaten in eight matches, with seven of those results being wins. The Gunners are also unbeaten in eight against Chelsea, with five wins and three draws. Chelsea's most recent win over Arsenal came in 2021.

Pick: Arsenal keeps finding ways to win this season. It's hard to bet against the Gunners, so don't. Arsenal is the play here.

Latest EFL Cup Soccer Futures

Manchester City is set in the soccer betting lines as the +160 favorite to win the 2026 EFL Cup. Since 2014, Man City has played in the final of this tournament six times and won the Cup every time.