The third round of the Carling Cup will be played out tonight and tomorrow night and while some games look to be easy pickings, others could be dangerous for unwary punters. Arsenal looms as one of those sides where confidence seems to be at an all time low, and wins hard to come by. In Arsenal’s favour is the home ground advantage, the fact they are playing a League Two side, and the fact that Wenger will field a young team. Their youngsters did a great job last season in the early rounds of both cups, and hopefully they haven’t been drinking the same confidence sapping water as their seniors.
Bookmakers have Arsenal comprehensive favourites at 2/9 while Shrewsbury sits unwanted at 12/1. We’re tipping the Gunners to bring home a victory – if they lose, then their season will be well and truly shot. The game that could be dangerous for punters is the Nottingham Forest (21/10) v Newcastle (7/5) match. Forest can be hard to beat at home and while Newcastle have been playing well so far this season, we are not expecting an easy trip. We’re tipping a Forest win at good odds.
Danger also looms in the Leeds (11/2) v Manchester United (4/7) match. United are playing their fourth game in ten days and while they have an unblemished record so far this season, the pressure will soon start to tell. Leeds came close to promotion to the Premier League last season and while they are not performing as well this season, they could make life difficult for Unites. We’re tipping a United win, but don’t be surprised if Leeds steal a goal or two to make it interesting.
Tomorrow, Liverpool travel to Brighton and while the hosts have not set the house on fire this season, neither have Liverpool. Brighton are in the top three in the Championship League and having the scalp of a Premier League team under their belt will further boost their confidence. Bookmakers have been generous with Brighton’s odds of 9/2 and a little tight listing Liverpool at 4/6. We’re tipping Brighton to win a close game.
The Carling Cup often springs surprises, especially at this time of year when teams are trying to settle, and there are a lot of games being played. Don’t be surprised to see some of the lesser lights unseat their more fancied rivals. In Carling Cup betting, Manchester City are the surprise favourites at 5/1 ahead of Chelsea at 6/1, Manchester Utd and Liverpool at 7/1 and Arsenal at 9/1. It’s early days yet, but we’re tipping United to add another cup to their trophy cabinet.