Newcastle, Feb 7 : Newcastle United reached the Carabao Cup final on Wednesday night following a 2-0 win against Arsenal in the semi-final second leg at St. James' Park, beating the Gunners 4-0 on aggregate to secure a final showdown against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.

As his side prepares for the game against Birmingham City in the fourth round of the FA Cup, head coach Eddie Howe reflected on what he believes to be a 'mouth watering' clash against the team from Merseyside.

"We have a great game lined up. Whoever we were going to face, it was going to be a real challenge. I think the Liverpool game is a mouthwatering tie. We are really looking forward to it but we have to put it to bed for the time being and focus on what is immediately ahead of us," said Howe in a press conference.

Newcastle have reached their second Carabao Cup final in the last three seasons (2022-23). Liverpool on the other hand registered an emphatic 4-0 victory against Spurs in the second leg, 4-1 on aggregate, to set up the final.

United will face Birmingham in the FA, who occupy top spot in League One and are currently unbeaten on home soil since August, and Howe revealed Botman will be unavailable for the trip to the West Midlands due to injury.

"I don't think he'll be available for this weekend. He has taken a knock to his knee . We don't believe it is a serious injury but it'll be enough to keep him out of the Birmingham game and we'll then assess him during the week before our next league game," he added.

/IANS