Arsenal v Liverpool – Carling Cup Wednesday

Without doubt the big name clash of the Carling Cup fourth round will be happening at the Emirates stadium, when Liverpool, buoyed by the Premier League victory over Manchester United will be paying a visit. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will probably be rolling out the youngsters again, which he has never had any shame in doing. Arsenal are very proud of the way they develop their youngsters, and under Wenger, they have an inordinate amount which seem to flourish and break into the first team with ease. The Carling Cup is a good testing ground for such youngsters, and they usually give a pretty good account of themselves by going far in the competition.

Whether Liverpool will travel with a full squad will be a different matter. Rafa Benitez, after stopping the rot of four consecutive defeats with the victory over Manchester United, may want to try and keep momentum going again by fielding as strong a team as he can. Steven Gerrard was absent from the match at Anfield on Sunday, while world class striker Fernando Torres again found the back of the net for his team. Knowing full well that Arsenal will be playing a young team, this could be chance for Liverpool to progress, but as displayed in their 1-0 victory over Leeds in the previous round, they could field a team which, like Arsenal, will be very different to the one that shows up for Premier League games.

Liverpool were a little lucky to come through the match against Leeds unscathed, and with the emphasis on challenging Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premier League, and knowing they have an uphill struggle to get out of the group stage of the Champions League, Rafa Benitez will likely keep some of his stars in reserve for this match. It does take away from some of the excitement of the match for the fans, but they should know what to expect ahead of midweek Carling Cup ties.

Arsenal played West Ham in the league on Sunday, and saw a 2-0 half time lead disappear in a stirring comeback from Gianfranco Zola’s Hammers. That is the second time in as many matches that Arsene Wenger has been frustrated at his side, having seen them throw away a lead late in the in the game. They conceded a late equalising goal away in the Champions League against AZ Alkmaar, and a late penalty denied them maximum points against West Ham on Sunday. That will have been a bitter blow for the Gunners as they looked set for their fifth straight win the league.

Arsenal to win: 5/4 at Blue Square
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Liverpool to win: 9/5 at Stan James

Betting Advice: It is hard making a judgement on games when looking at two sets of relative unknown players. There is just no way to know how they are going to perform. In all likelihood though, the Arsenal youngsters are going to be more accomplished than the fringe players at Liverpool. That has been proven before, as the young Gunners playing with a lot of flair and maturity which has seen them win many a Carling Cup tie against more established opposition. Could be a quite open and entertaining game.
Arsenal -1 Asian Handicap: 12/5 at Bet365