Barnsley v Manchester United
Sunderland v Aston Villa
Portsmouth v Stoke City
Blackburn Rovers v Peterborough United
Tottenham v Everton
Barnsley v Manchester United
Preview: Championship side, Barnsley, face a second string Manchester United side looking to pick up the pieces from the defeat on Merseyside. The 2-0 defeat at Liverpool was a bitter blow for the Red Devils and even a win this evening will not be much of a consolation. Fringe players like Wellbeck, Macheda, Brown, Neville, Foster, Evans, and debutant Obertan are set to feature for the visitors. Barnsley sit in 20th position in The Championship division and have reached this stage of the competition by overcoming league rivals Reading (1-2) and Premier League side Burnley (3-2).
Verdict: Barnsley have one of the weakest backlines in the Championship with 13 goals conceded on their own patch, second only to Watford. Last weekend, even the poorest scoring away team in the Championship, Bristol City, managed to score 3 goals past the Tykes. The Premier League's poorest away side in Burnley also managed to score 2 past Barnsley so it's obvious where the problems lie. Are Manchester United capable of taking advantage of these weaknesses is the big question. Manchester's previous contest in this cup, a 1-0 win against Wolverhampton, was an open contest with the Wolves creating numerous chances im a contest where they were unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet. In closing, I believe both sides will have lots of opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net and with the under-dogs playing in front of their own fans, they will be urged to attack and thus providing an open game.
Pick: Over 2.5 goals @1.86 (sbobet, 5 units)
Barnsley 0 - 2 Manchester United
Portsmouth v Stoke City
Preview: One of three Premier League Carling Cup clashes sees bottom of the table Portsmouth facing Stoke City, the latter sitting 9th on the table. As we know, league form and cup form don't always go hand in hand. Stoke manager, Tony Pulis, has well and truly rung the changes for this fixture with the weekend clash against Wolverhampton taking priority. Mr Pulis has made no less that 10 changes to the starting lineup that miraculously defeated Tottenham 1-0 last weekend. Portsmouth continued their improved run of results with a well earned scoreless draw at Hull.
Verdict: Portsmouth are yet to defeat (or draw with) Premier League opposition at Fratton Park this season. Narrow defeats to Fulham, Manchester City, Bolton, Everton, and Tottenham are the main reasons why they find themselves at the bottom of the pile. It is no secret that if Portsmouth are to get out of this hole, they need to get the home crowd on their side. Portsmouth manager, Paul Hart, is under serious pressure to get results so he will be a bit more reluctant to make wholesale changes. Stoke's strength is its defensive organisation but with 10 changes, it is hard to see them keeping their normal shape. In addition, I believe a good Carling Cup run will give Portsmouth the opportunity to discover good Premier League form. Motivation is with the home side here.
Pick: Portsmouth -0.5AH @2.08 (sbobet, 7 units)
Portsmouth 4 - 0 Stoke City
Wednesday, October 28
Chelsea v Bolton
Preview: Premiership leaders Chelsea welcome Bolton in this 4th round League Cup clash, the first of two meetings between the sides within the next 7 days. Chelsea are in a rich vein of scoring form at Stamford Bridge but have also only conceded one goal all season (in all competitions) in front of their home fans. Bolton themselves have been in reasonable form with only one defeat in their last 7 in all competitions. Their away form has in fact been better than their home form and their battling display at Old Trafford two weeks ago (2-1 loss) will possibly give them heart going into this contest. Carlo Ancelotti is set to ring the changes with Alex returning after a three month lay off and fringe players like Sturridge, Joe Cole, Kalou, and Deco set to be given a run out. Bolton will welcome the return of Elmander so the visitors will be at full strength for this fixture.
Verdict: In the previous round, Chelsea struggled to a 1-0 win over Championship side QPR while Bolton left it till extra time to put West Ham to the sword in a 3-1 win. Bolton manager, Gary Megson, has indicated in the press that his side will take this cup seriously and their current form, including their past results at Stamford Bridge, should give them alot of hope of possibly upsetting the apple cart here. I expect Chelsea's much changed backline to be put under a stringent test with Bolton's direct style of play so I will side with the visitors to atleast score and make it a tight contest.
Pick: Bolton +1.5AH @2.11 (sbobet, 5 units)
Chelsea 4 - 0 Bolton
Arsenal v Liverpool
Preview: Arsenal's young guns will go up against a team featuring Liverpool's fringe players, including the much awaited debut of Aquilani, in an intriguing contest. Historically, Arsenal have done well in this competition with Arsene Wenger using these games as a way to expose his young talent to meaningful games. Fabianski and Nasri are likely to feature for the Gunners while Senderos and Silvestre will provide experience and steel in the back. Liverpool are set to give run outs to veteran Greek international, Sotiris Kyrgiakos and Italian full-back Dossena, among others. Mascherano is suspended while Riera and Gerrard are not available for selection due to injury. Liverpool reached this stage of the competition with a narrow and somewhat controversial 1-0 win at Leeds while Arsenal cruised to a 2-0 win over West Brom.
Verdict: Arsenal seem to have a good mixture of experience and youth for this contest, something of which Arsene is a master at combining. Liverpool look a little light in midfield with Mascherano's suspension and Gerrard's injury. Aquilani has not played much football since ankle surgery so it's unlikely that he will impact the game much. Arsenal are difficult to beat in these competitions as their young players give 100% to impress the manager, something which other Premiership teams don't necessarily do. In addition, I see players like Kyrgiakos and Dossena struggling with Arsenal's pace and fast ball movement in the forward areas.
Pick: Arsenal -0.5AH @1.96 (sbobet, 7 units)
Arsenal 2 - 1 Liverpool
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