We’re approaching the latter stages of this year’s EFL Cup and with teams just two games from the final, many will be thinking about a trip to Wembley on the 26th February. The two quarter final games kicking off on Tuesday see two Championship sides in action as Hull City host Newcastle and Liverpool take on Leeds. While many non-Premier League sides have fallen at this stage in the past, there have been teams from outside the top tier who have gone all the way, Sheffield Wednesday the last side to do so in 1991.
On Wednesday the slightly earlier of the two matches is Arsenal against Southampton. The Gunners have made a lot of changes to their starting XI in this competition so far. With more at stake now though and some tough Premier League competition to contend with, maybe Arsene Wenger will employ some of his big guns here. Fifteen minutes later and the action will get underway at Old Trafford as Manchester United take on West Ham. The Hammers haven’t had much to celebrate this season but a good cup run would be a welcome distraction from their lacklustre league performances.
Tuesday 29th November 2016
Hull City v Newcastle (19:45) – Newcastle to qualify (8/11 with Bet365)
It’s not often a lower league side are the favourites for an away fixture against Premier League opposition but that’s the position Newcastle find themselves in. It’s not one that comes as a great surprise here either as the Magpies are flying high in the Championship, collecting the most points and scoring the most goals. They’ll have no fear when coming to the KC Stadium as they look to maintain their strong away record this season that has seen them lose just one game on the road.
For the Tigers, they already look like having a tough fight to stay in the Premier League so it’s fair to say this won’t be the priority for them. They’ve been hit badly by injuries this season and six players are unavailable for this clash so it would be a disaster if Mike Phelan were to lose more names here. The 54 year old manager will still be keen to win this tie of course but with his side struggling in the league, they don’t look able to have the beating a confident Newcastle outfit.
Liverpool v Leeds United (19:45) – Liverpool to win at half time & full time (4/6 with Coral)
Leeds couldn’t have got a much harder tie than an away match at Liverpool and the Championship outfit are as long as 7/1 to qualify for the next round. Under Garry Monk this season they have often been able to grind out results but they’ve rarely put in a performance that makes you think they can cause an upset here. Leeds and their fans will certainly enjoy the occasion playing against a big Premier League side but the difference in class is likely to put a damper on their evening.
You would expect Jurgen Klopp to make some changes to his side for this match just as he did in the last round against Tottenham. This shouldn’t weaken his side too much however, at least not going forwards as they will still boast the likes of Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge. The Englishman was able to strike early against Spurs and it’s hard to see a less-than-formidable Leeds defence keeping Liverpool quiet here; even for 45 minutes. The Reds are available at a very short price to win this tie in the 90 minutes, but by betting on them to lead at half time and full time, much better returns are available.
Wednesday 30th November 2016
Arsenal v Southampton (19:45) – Both teams to score (4/6 at Betfred)
Arsenal hosted Southampton in this competition two years ago in the third round and suffered a 2-1 defeat. Home losses don’t come too often for Arsenal but Southampton appear to be one of their bogey teams. The two times they have met at the Emirates in 2016 have been very close affairs. One ended in a 0-0 draw and the other, more recent clash, saw Arsenal need an injury time penalty to claim the three points. The Saints should be in a confident mood as they travel to the London ground once again and you wouldn’t want to bet against them.
With this match looking like a close one, backing both teams to score looks to be the way to go. The Saints haven’t been full of goals this season but this looks like the sort of game in which they will find the back of the net. Claude Puel’s side have scored in all but two of their matches against English opposition this season and they should find some joy against an Arsenal defence that will be without at least Hector Bellerin, if not others. Arsenal pack a punch in attack though and they can almost always be counted on to score at least once at home.
Manchester United v West Ham (20:00) – Manchester United to win and over 1.5 goals (8/11 with Betfair)
Manchester United and West Ham meet once against just four days after their encounter in the Premier League. With both managers keen on taking this competition seriously, we shouldn’t see two drastically dissimilar sides take to the field either. This game will mean a lot to Slaven Bilic who would certainly benefit from avoiding another defeat given how poorly his West Ham side have been this season. As for Jose Mourinho, he’ll be very keen to put on a good show for the large home crowd who have such high expectations of him.
Mourinho couldn’t have asked for much more from his side during their 4-0 thrashing of Feyernoord in mid-week. The Red Devils put on a top class display to brush aside their Dutch opponents, being far more clinical than they have been in recent weeks. There seems little reason why United can’t put in a repeat showing of this against a struggling West Ham side who look short on confidence. With the home side looking more fluid in attack and the Hammers shaky at the back, backing United to win and over 1.5 goals looks a solid option here.