We’re down to the last 16 of the League Cup and things are starting to get interesting. With Chelsea and Man City leading the way in the betting to lift the trophy, the likes of Shrewsbury, MK Dons and Sheffield United would be forgiven for feeling out of their depth.
But you just never can tell what kinds of teams the big sides will put out in this competition as they focus more on the Premier League, and the lower league sides often over-perform, as MK Dons showed when smashing Man United 4-0 back in August.
With a place in the quarter finals up for grabs we anticipate some very competitive matches here, so check out our betting tips as we predict what will transpire in the biggest of Tuesday’s League Cup matches.
Tuesday 28th October 2014
Liverpool v Swansea (20:00) – Swansea to win and both teams to score (7/1 with Bet365)
Liverpool might still be reeling from their 3-0 home defeat at the hands of European champions Real Madrid coming into this one, but Brendan Rodgers’ men will be confident of overcoming Swansea at Anfield. Whether the Reds should be confident is another matter of course.
Liverpool’s defensive issues won’t seem to go away and there is a strong suspicion that Rodgers doesn’t know his best first XI or even his best system, and with Daniel Sturridge likely to miss this through injury and Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert both failing to make a positive impact, Garry Monk’s men might sense a real opportunity here.
We certainly don’t think Liverpool should be priced at odds as short as just 8/11 for the win in 90 minutes and backing the visitors at 18/5 with BetVictor might not be a bad call. But our main betting tip for this one could be a nice earner if it comes good: Swansea to win and both teams to score. Given Liverpool usually have at least one goal in them (granted, not against the best team in the world…) and that Swansea have a real chance of getting the win, this bet looks a great value option as the Reds’ woes continue since the loss of their talisman Luis Suarez.
Shrewsbury v Chelsea (19:45) – Draw at half time (7/4 with Bet365)
League Two side Shrewsbury Town certainly have a tough task on their hands as they welcome Premier League leaders Chelsea to New Meadow on Tuesday. But for the Shrews this will be like a cup final and they will be highly motivated. Add to that the fact that they are unbeaten in nine home matches in all competitions this season and the likelihood that Jose Mourinho will field a much-changed team, and there is just a possibility of a major, major upset in this one.
Sky Sports seem to think so at least, as they are televising the game. The bookies are more inclined to go with the top flight outfit, of course, with the Blues priced at odds of just 3/10 with Betfred and others to get the win in 90 minutes, while Shrewsbury are out at 9/1.
Realistically one would expect the Pensioners to walk this one and end up comfortable winners, but Micky Mellon will have his troops fired up for this one and we just have the feeling the home side could keep things level until the break. What happens afterwards is up to the footballing gods, but maybe, just maybe Shrewsbury could earn a famous victory. We’ll stick with the draw at half time though, just in case.
Wednesday 29th October 2014
Stoke v Southampton (19:45) – Both teams to score (5/6 with Bet365)
Stoke and Southampton meet in the Premier League at St Mary’s on the Saturday prior to this match, but given the League Cup encounter will be at the Britannia and that both managers are likely to ring the changes, we don’t think the outcome of that match will have much impact on this one.
We do, however, think the manager who fields the closer to his first XI is likely to get the win in this one. And given both Mark Hughes and Ronald Koeman will be eager to get one step closer to a Wembley final, there is a chance both will go all in and put out their best players.
On balance, we feel the Saints are the stronger side based on the excellent results they have secured so far in the Premier League, while Stoke have looked a little shaky at times, especially – surprisingly – on home soil where they’ve been beaten by Aston Villa and Leicester. The bookies are sitting on the fence a little with the Saints at a best price of 8/5 with BetVictor and Stoke at very slightly longer odds of 17/10 with Sky Bet.
A tough one to call, we fancy both sides will be going for the win and backing goals rather than the match outcome could be the safer option here, with over 2.5 goals looking on the cards. That said, we prefer the 5/6 available with Bet365 for both teams to score in what could be quite an entertaining match.
Man City v Newcastle (19:45) – Man City to win both halves (7/4 with Bet365)
Manchester City have beaten Newcastle in each of their last 11 matches against them in all competitions, and the last five of those victories have come without conceding a single goal. Given the Magpies are hardly flying high at the moment we really can’t see how Alan Pardew will be able to motivate his men sufficiently to get anything out of this match.
The one saving grace for Pardew, however, is that there is the small matter of the Manchester derby taking place just a few days after this match, meaning Manuel Pellegrini is sure to rest many of his top stars, including Sergio Aguero. But on the other hand, the depth of the City squad means that the players who come in are likely to be more than capable of overcoming a rather uninspiring Newcastle side. As such we have no qualms about predicting a comfortable home win and backing City to win both halves looks very good value to us.