Carling Cup betting

Liverpool v Man City Carling Cup Semi Final second leg betting odds is being covered well by online bookmaker Paddy Power’s Money Back Special. The popular bookie adds a bit of insurance to your Liverpool v Man City betting, and the promotion surrounds first leg hero Steven Gerrard. If the Liverpool captain, who scored the only goal of the first leg scores at Anytime during the second leg, then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast single bets placed on the match. This means that you can take some great coverage on your betting, where the likes of Sergio Aguero is 11/2 favourite to open the scoring, and Andy Carroll, Craig Bellamy and Edin Dzeko are all trading at 13/2 in the popular First Goalscorer market. In the Liverpool v Man City correct score, a 1-0 scoreline in favour of either competitors will fetch a price of 13/2 with the bookie. So fantastic coverage, all protected if Steven Gerrard nets a goal at any time of the game. Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with the bookie. Paddy Power will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the value of £50, giving you some great free betting cash to enjoy.

Liverpool take a slender 1-0 lead to Anfield on Wednesday night in the second leg of the Carling Cup semi final. Steven Gerrard converted from the penalty spot in the first leg, and it was a goal which inflicted defeat upon Man City at home for the first time since 2008. Now Liverpool have one foot in the door of a Wembley appearance, which will be their first since 1996. Liverpool’s reward came after a bright start at the Etihad Stadium, and Liverpool’s defence were able to stand strong enough throughout the rest of the match to keep City limited in their chances to pull level. Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish publicly admonished his players after their away defeat at Bolton on the weekend in the league, saying that certain personnel were not committed enough to their cause. Liverpool suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League ahead of their Carling Cup semi final, but that turn around in the first leg has been their only bright moment recently. Liverpool have lost two and drawn one of their last three league matches and they are struggling for form, especially up front. There has been only one league goal for them in those three matches, and they have been missing the banned Luis Suarez. The only energy up front is coming from Craig Bellamy and with Andy Carroll misfiring and looking lost in the Liverpool set up, they will need a big night from Bellamy. Liverpool don’t look as if they have many goals in them at the moment, and that could be their big downfall if they try and hold out for ninety minutes.

There was controversy from the first leg, with Liverpool’s Glenn Johnson diving in with a two footed tackle, which went unpunished. There was also the 1-1 draw at Anfield in the Premier League back in November, in which City defender Joleon Lescott scored a cool own goal. While City continue to press on towards a Premier League title, with a big 3-2 win against at Spurs on the weekend, which kept them three points clear of rivals Man Utd, controversy seems to follow City wherever they go. There was the Vincent Kompany sending off against Man Utd in the FA Cup. The row over Glenn Johnson’s tackle. The on going Carlos Tevez saga and of course, the volatile Mario Balotelli, who seems to be a walking disciplinary hearing all by himself. City will still be missing Vincent Kompany, as this is the be the final match of his ban. This match is going to be all about the City attack against the Liverpool defence, even though Roberto Mancini’s men are away from home. City are the better side, the stronger side and they have shown signs that they are fragile and suffering under the pressure of expectations. City will want to get some silverware into the trophy cabinet this season and the Carling Cup represents their best chance at the moment. They are two wins away from that, and the Wembley final will be against a Championship side. So Liverpool v Man City Carling Cup semi final second leg betting is likely to be all in the hands of how fluently Manchester City settled down. It is not going to be an easy fixture, because this is Liverpool’s last chance of any Silverware this season.

Liverpool v Man City Carling Cup Semi Final second leg betting odds
Liverpool to win: 7/4 at William Hill
Draw: 12/5 at Bwin
Man City to win: 9/5 at William Hill

To Win Carling Cup
Liverpool 4/6 at Bet365, Man City 5/2 at SportingBet

Cardiff City v Crystal Palace Carling Cup semi final second leg betting is being covered by a great Boylesports Money Back Special. This is First Goalscorer Cashback special, which means that if you make a First Goalscorer selection in the match, but your pick fails to score first but nets the second goal of the game, then you will get your lost stake refunded. So this provides some great coverage for the second leg of Cardiff v Crystal Palace on the First Goalscorer market, where Kenny Miller is 4/1 favourite to open the scoring, with Robert Earnshaw and Joe Mason tracking behind both at 5/1. Back a selection like this and if your selection scores second and not first in the match, then you will get your lost stake refunded as a free bet. Online bookmaker Boylesports offer a free £20 bet for new customers registering an account with them. Register an account and place your first stake of £20, and you will get a free matched bet to the same value.

It is Crystal Palace who take a 1-0 lead into the second leg thanks to Anthony Gardner’s first leg goal. Palace rested quite a few players for their weekend league match against Blackpool, which they lost. So you can see the importance that Palace are putting on this position in the Carling Cup. Manager Dougie Freedman though will know that the advantage really is a slender one between two very evenly matched Championship sides. Palace aren’t in a terrific run of form, not having won any of their last three matches in the league. They are struggling for goals up front, but their defence is pretty tight and they will need to be strong against Cardiff who are in great shape at the moment. It is Crystal Palace who hold a strong cup record against Cardiff, having never tasted cup defeat at the hands of the Welsh side. However, they haven’t managed to pick up a win on their last three trips Cardiff, but the Eagles have won all six of their Carling Cup matches this season and are proving to be a pretty strong cup side. Will their resilience at the back be able to hold out?

Cardiff have already beaten Crystal Palace at home in the league this season, winning 2-0 with goals from Kenny Miller and Peter Whittingham. Cardiff are sitting in third place in the Championship, again gunning for a place in the top flight. They are no strangers to Wembley of course, having been there three times in the last five years with play off heartbreak being suffered there. Palace boss Dougie Freedman has been doing a bit of trash talking ahead of the match, basically saying that Cardiff are chokers on big match occasions. That naturally prompted a response from Cardiff boss Malky Mackay who simply said that Freedman’s words were a great motivational team talk for the Bluebirds squad. Freedman’s words will probably have ramped up Cardiff’s intensity for this match, and the Palace boss’s words may yet come back to haunt him. Cardiff fired off a 3-2 win over Portsmouth in the Championship on the weekend, and they are the stronger offensive force of the two sides. But Crystal Palace are a tough side to break down and therefore the onus will all be on Cardiff to come forward and take the game to the visitors. That extra bit of motivation, especially in front of their home crowds, could just be the difference in the end in Cardiff v Crystal Palace Carling Cup betting. There doesn’t look as if there is going to be a lot between them, and with a place in the final on the line, it should be a tight and strongly contested affair.

Cardiff City v Crystal Palace Carling Cup semi final second leg betting odds
Cardiff to win: 4/5 at William Hill
Draw: 13/5 at Bet365
Crystal Palace to win: 9/2 at SkyBet

To Win Carling Cup: Crystal Palace 10/1 at Bet365, Cardiff 11/1 at Totesport

Manchester City step back into Cup action this week after failing to progress in the FA Cup. City faltered at home against rivals Man Utd  in the FA Cup on the weekend, largely thanks to defender Vincent Kompany getting sent off early in the match. After falling 3-0 down, City did muster a great response in the second half with ten men and had United on the ropes. However, the comeback couldn’t be completed and now City have to turn their attention to the Carling Cup as they seek silverware for the season. After going out of the Champions League as well, City boss Mancini has said that he needs to spend more money in order to add depth to his squad. City are seen as having one of the strongest squads in the league, but clearly it is not good enough for City’s ambitions and Mancini wants extra coverage. City’s hopes haven’t been helped ahead of Man City v Liverpool Carling Cup betting because of Kompany’s ban, injury doubts over Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and David Silva as well. So it could be a City at under strength for the first leg of the Carling Cup semi final, but at least they are at home, which should count for something.

Liverpool cruised their FA Cup third round tie against Oldham last Friday, and they will get Jose Enrique, Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel back into the starting eleven. There will likely be a start for club captain Steven Gerrard as well. Liverpool are struggling more off then pitch than on it, their reputation being tarnished through racism stories and more. So the best they can do is keep things bright on the pitch to bring some positive news to the club. Liverpool, have, by and large, looked a hard team to break down and yet they lack some serious forward power. Luis Suarez off course will be sitting in the stands again as he serves his lengthy ban, so Liverpool may approach this first leg with an air of caution and will be happy enough with a draw you would feel to head back to Anfield with. Just over a week ago, the Reds went to the Etihad Stadium and were crushed 3-0, without really threatening City, and with City’s good run of form in general against Liverpool, it could be damage limitation time for Kenny Dalglish and his crew, even though City may be there for the taking being under strength and after having their confidence knocked with defeat against United on the weekend.

Man City v Liverpool Carling Cup Semi Final Betting Odds
Man City: Evens at Bet365
Draw: 5/2 at VC Bet
Liverpool: 16/5 at Totesport

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This year’s Carling Cup is down to the final eight teams, and Manchester United are installed as the firm favourites after being handed one of the most favorable draws they could have received. After having an easy path through this year’s tournament, with wins over Leeds and Aldershot, Man Utd again got the favourable draw with a home fixture against Championship side Crystal Palace. That should pretty much ensure that we will see the Red Devils in the semi finals, and with Manchester City and Chelsea both involved in all Premier League ties, the draw looks wide open for some United silverware. Palace, who are fourth in the Championship and in a great run of form themselves, will likely be an energetic  handful, but you would bank on Man Utd, even with a weakened side, to get through this without too much trouble. Blackburn have  a tricky trip to Championship side Cardiff City in the other Premier League v Championship match in Carling Cup Quarter Final betting. Cardiff are running in fifth place in the Championship, and look good to challenge for a play off spot at the very least there. Cardiff squeezed past Leicester City 7-6 on penalties in the third round, before edging out Burnley 1-0 in the fourth round. As for Rovers, they have picked up just one win in the Premier League of course this season, and so will be favourites to be on the end of a cup upset. Blackburn knocked out Newcastle United 4-3 in extra time in the fourth round, and the Carling Cup looks to be their best chance of escape from the pressures of a relegation battle.

Which leaves us with the two all Premier League match ups, starting with Chelsea v Liverpool. This looks as if it will be a cracker, with record holders Liverpool, who have won the League Cup seven times head to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea’s creaky defence. Chelsea needed extra time to edge past Merseysiders Everton in the fourth round, and that was after needing penalties to see off Fulham in the third round. So they are battling their way through, but will have home advantage for this big clash, a repeat of 2007 clash when Chelsea won 2-0 at the Bridge. In the final fixture, Manchester City head to the Emirates to take on Arsenal in what should be a mighty clash. Manchester City, who are top of the Premier League and finally looking as if they are getting to grips with the Champions League have been hotly tipped for cup success this year, but they run into a stiff hurdle with a resurgent Arsenal. The Gunners edged past out of form Bolton in the fourth round, while City were rampant away at Wolves. An interesting draw for Carling Cup Quarter final betting, and we will lose at least two main contenders for the title. Because of the draw, United are now front runners over their city rivals.

2011/12 Carling Cup Outright Winner Odds
Man Utd: 2/1 at Bet365
Man City: 3/1 at Totesport
Chelsea: 9/2 at Bet365
Liverpool: 7/1 at Paddy Power
Arsenal: 15/2 at Blue Square
Blackburn: 20/1 at Victor Chandler
Cardiff: 50/1 at Bet365
Crystal Palace: 100/1 at Bwin

Carling Cup Quarter Final Matches take place in the week commencing November 28th

Stoke v Liverpool Carling Cup betting looks as if it will be a pretty interesting match up on Wednesday night. Kenny Dalglish watched with frustration as his side were held to a 1-1 draw against Norwich City at Anfield on Saturday. Even though Liverpool missed some golden chances right at the death, when Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez should have both scored, Liverpool only had themselves to blame as they never mounted any pressure on the Canaries. It was a lack luster second half performance from Liverpool, which saw them lose further ground with the title contenders in the Premier League. So now Dalglish can turn his attention back to the Carling Cup, hoping to get some silverware into the cabinet at the end of the season after spending so heavily. But the Reds, who made hard work of a 2-1 win away at Brighton in the Third Round of the competition have drawn a tough task for the Fourth Round. Liverpool lost when they went to the Britannia Stadium at the beginning of September, unable to get on the score sheet in a 1-0 defeat. This is what Stoke City are great at. They have a mixed back of results this season, but again they are so difficult to beat at home. While Liverpool were defeated there this season, Stoke have also frustrated Chelsea and Manchester United into drawn matches there as well, so Stoke v Liverpool Carling Cup betting is not one of the easier calls for the last sixteen of the competition. Stoke knocked out Spurs in the Third Round after a thrilling 7-6 penalty shoot out win at the Britannia. Stoke play a good, tough physical game and really have the ability to stop Liverpool getting into any stride in the middle of the park. So it will be interesting to see what Kenny Dalglish does here, will he go for a stronger team selection. They will need to play better than they did in the league against Stoke, but the Reds won’t want to totally discard the chase for silverware in the Carling Cup.

Stoke City v Liverpool Carling Cup Betting Odds
Stoke to win: 5/2 at Bet365
Draw: 23/10 at SkyBet
Liverpool to win: Evens at SkyBet

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Arsenal v Bolton Carling Cup betting, should see the Gunners progressing closer to some silverware. It would be a bit ironic that in a season of some big struggles, that Arsenal would come through and end their long wait for a trophy. They Gunners, who are still not playing great at the back, are relying heavily on Robin van Persie for everything going forward, but staying at the Emirates for the their Fourth Round match in the Carling Cup, should be enough for them to take advantage of this opportunity. With them not looking as if they are going to win the Premier League or the Champions League, maybe the Carling Cup is really worth gunning for at the moment for Arsene Wenger, making them a strong option in Arsenal v Bolton Carling Cup Betting. They have a pretty good draw in the Fourth Round here, squaring off against Bolton Wanderers, who are in some terrible form. Arsenal were made to work hard in the Third Round at the Emirates, as a very spunky Shrewsbury Town came along and created a hatful of good chances for themselves. The Gunners won out 3-1 in the end but were probably surprises by the degree of challenge. As for Bolton, they face their second Premier League team, after having battled past Aston Villa at Villa Park in the Third Round with a 2-0 win. Bolton manager Owen Coyle could do with a win to boost morale at the club, who have lost seven of their nine Premier League matches this season. There are holes all over the back line for Bolton, and they look as if they are going to be in big trouble if something is not sorted out. But the pressures of the Premier League are off, and they will no doubt want to take this chance to give themselves a boost. However, on the basis of their recent visit to the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League, where the Trotters lost 3-0, the cards looked stacked in Arsenal’s favour for this one.

Arsenal v Bolton Carling Cup Betting Odds
Arsenal to win: 3/7 at Bet365
Draw: 16/5 at William Hill
Bolton to win: 11/2 at Unibet

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Everton v Chelsea Carling Cup betting sees the two sides go head to head again. The two of them met recently in the Premier League, with Chelsea running out comfortable 3-1 winners at Stamford Bridge. The Blues look as if they are growing in stature in the season, under new boss Andre Villas Boas, and with Everton having been a bit of a bogey side at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea killed off the challenge, without Everton really mustering any kind of response or threat whatsoever. We will probably see changes for Chelsea, as they rotate their squad again in this busy period, where the Carling Cup does not exactly take the highest priority. The Blues came through a penalty shoot out in the Third Round against London neighbours Fulham, a match which both sides could easily have won in regulation time. But chances went begging at Stamford Bridge, but it was the Blues who held their nerve. Everton needed extra time to get past Premier League opposition of their own in the Third Round. The Toffees ran out 2-1 winners in extra time against West Brom to book safe passage through to the Fourth Round. It has been another testing season for Everton and their limited resources, struggling to find the back of the net and to pick up points in the Premier League. So this will be a bit of light relief for them you would think in Everton v Chelsea Carling Cup Betting, and a chance for David Moyes to get a look at some of his younger players. Even though they will be at home, the Toffees will start off as underdogs, because Chelsea’s firepower up front is beginning to click. The home side need to find some way of putting the Chelsea defence under pressure at Goodison Park on Wednesday night, something they didn’t do at all at Stamford Bridge recently.

Everton v Chelsea Carling Cup Betting Odds
Everton to win: 5/2 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at Bwin
Chelsea to win: 6/5 at Boylesports

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We focus on midweek Carling Cup betting action this week, as the last remaining sixteen teams in the tournament scrap it out for a place in the Quarter Finals. One of the big matches of the night is Stoke City v Liverpool, with the Potters having already beaten Liverpool at the Britannia in the Premier League this season. So Stoke boss Tony Pulis and his men will be looking for a repeat performance in shutting out Liverpool, who could only manage a 1-1 draw against Norwich at Anfield on Saturday. Online bookmaker Bet365 are showing a live stream of the match to accompany your Stoke v Liverpool betting. The highly ratted bookie, well known for the amount of live football streams which it provides for their customers, is bringing this all Premier League clash to its account holders on Wednesday, October 26th. All live streams at Bet365 are free, you just need to have some funds in your account, or have placed a bet on the match in question to get to see it. It is a great way to get closer to the action, especially if you are looking at enjoying some live in play betting as well. You can stream the live action and get your bets down right along side the game, so you can get a good feel of what live in play bets to take. Bet365 welcome new customers with the chance of a free £200 bet on a new account, so if you are not signed up there, there is even more good reason to do so! The bookie will match the value of your first deposit, up to the maximum of £200, but it gives you a huge opportunity to get some free cash in your new Bet365 account. Turning that free cash into profit can start with backing a winner in the Carling Cup this week.

Aldershot v Manchester United Carling Cup betting, sees the Premier League champions head to face League Two opponents. Aldershot, who are struggling down in fifteenth place in the league, fought their way into the last sixteen, courtesy of a 2-1 win over Rochdale, a 2-0 win over Carlisle in Round Two and it all started with a big 2-1 away win at West Ham in the first round. So already it has been a great run for the League Two side, and they are the lowest ranked team left in this year’s tournament, the only team from League Two after Shrewsbury crashed out in the Third Round. So all the underdog hopes will be on their shoulders, as they host their dream tie. Naturally this is expected to be all one way traffic heading towards the Aldershot goal, and the Shots have only ever encountered Manchester United once before in their history, showing what a momentous night this is going to be on Tuesday in Aldershot v Manchester United Carling Cup betting. That previous meeting came in the League Cup but way back in the seventies, which United won 3-1 away from home. With the goal scoring power that Manchester United have, many are expecting a bit of a goal fest, even though boss Sir Alex Ferguson will no doubt throw out something of a reserve side, much changed from the rigours of the Manchester derby in the Premier League on the weekend. There are bigger fish for United to fry this season, and so they head to Aldershot still as strong favourites. United reached the fourth round after a convincing 3-0 win over Leeds at Elland Road in the Third Round

Aldershot v Manchester United Carling Cup Betting
Aldershot to win: 11/1 at Stan James
Draw: 9/2 at Paddy Power
Manchester United to win: 2/7 at Bet365

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Back to some big Carling Cup action this week to fill the football betting void between weekends. The Premier League threw up some big results on the weekend, and most of the sides won’t be getting any rest as they are thrust into domestic cup action. This is where having a big squad will pay off for teams gunning for silverware on all fronts, while for some of the lower league teams left in, there is a chance for a bit of glory. There are just four all Premier League clashes this round, but it does mean we are going to lose some more top teams. We lost four Premier League teams from the previous round, and so we are whittling down some more right now. The top clash is the London derby between Chelsea and Fulham at Stamford Bridge. Can the Blues pick themselves up after their 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday? Will Fernando Torres get another run out to help him get over his open goal miss? He looked almost back to his sharpest and influential best against Manchester United, but all his good work will have been undone by that horror show miss. But Chelsea do have strength in depth this season, so manager Andre Villas Boas will need to shuffle things up again in order to keep focus on the Premier League and the Champions League as well. They have a big home advantage against neighbours Fulham, who have yet to win a league match this season. Fulham earned their third draw of the season, coming back from 2-0 down against Manchester City at Craven Cottage on the weekend. That was a huge boost to them, and manager Martin Jol will be targeting a big scalp here. Fulham have not got a great record against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, so the Blues go as favourites. You would have to bank on Chelsea’s depth, especially up front to fire their way through this one. Chelsea are 2/5 favourites at Coral, with Fulham out at 9/1 with Bwin to take the victory. A draw will fetch 4/1 at SkyBet.

Stoke City v Tottenham Hotspur looks like it should be a very interesting match up. Both were involved in 4-0 score lines on the weekend, with Tottenham thumping Liverpool by that score at White Hart Lane, while Stoke crashed and burned badly against Sunderland, who had been struggling for goals up until that point. Stoke have proven to be a tough side to beat at the Britannia though, and they are sitting fifth in the Premier League after a fine start by Tony Pulis’s men. Spurs really woke up their season with a convincing victory over Liverpool, who were reduced to nine men. But boss Harry Redknapp will probably throw out the youngsters again, just as he did in the Europa League. He knows where the priorities are, and that is the league and pushing for a Champions League spot. Stoke are 8/5 at VC Bet to win, with Spurs at 9/5, so it is expected to be a close one. The draw is 12/5 at SkyBet.

Everton v West Brom is the third of the Premier League clashes in the Carling Cup. The Toffees, despite their financial problems, have pulled themselves up into seventh spot in the Premier League, one above their neighbours Liverpool, and face West Brom on the back of a 3-1 win against Wigan. As for their opponents West Brom, well it has not been a convincing start from them, as they sit rock bottom of the League and will be licking their wounds badly after a 3-0 defeat against Swansea on the weekend, which saw the Baggies become the first side to concede against the newly promoted Swans this season. Tough times for Roy Hodgson there at the moment, they need a morale boosting win, but it won’t come easy at Goodison. Everton are 8/11 favourites at Boylesports, while West Brom are heavy underdogs at 4/1 with Bwin. The draw is priced at 14/5 at Bet365.

The final all Premier League clash on the cards this week is Aston Villa v Bolton. New Villas boss Alex McLeish is silencing his critics with  Villa sitting in 6th place in the Premier League at the moment, after picking up a 1-1 draw against Newcastle on the weekend. There are troubles though for Owen Coyle’s Bolton, as they are second from bottom, losing out in a 2-1 defeat against Norwich on the weekend. With Villa having home advantage, they are the strong side to back at 5/6 with SkyBet, and Bolton are priced out at 7/2 with Victor Chandler, and the draw 13/5 at Bet365.

There are a few big Premier League v Championship matches to look forward to in Carling Cup betting this week. The notable one is Leeds United v Manchester United. The two old rivals clash again, and no doubt Sir Alex Ferguson will be sending out some of his back up players to try and conquer Elland Road. These two sides have produced some thrilling cup ties over the past few years, with Leeds glowing with their upsets. Leeds are mid table in the Championship at the moment though, looking for a bit more momentum to their season, while Man Utd look like a runaway steam train. Leeds are 11/2 at Bwin to take the victory, with United favourites at 4/7 with Coral. The draw is best priced at 17/5 with VC Bet.

Liverpool face a tricky Championship test as well, as they head to the south coast to take on Brighton. The Seagulls are sitting pretty in third spot in the Championship, and with Liverpool taking a heavy beating on the weekend, and having seen two red cards, boss Kenny Dalglish may well shake up his side. This then could be a great chance for the Championship side to strike, and are priced at 9/2 with Stan James to win, with Liverpool in at 4/6 on. The draw is best priced at 3/1 with Victor Chandler.

Manchester City also face Championship opponents, as they host Birmingham City at Eastlands. Such is the strength of depth in City’s squad at the moment, they remain one of the favourites to win the Carling Cup. Birmingham are sitting in 14th in the Championship right now, and the bookies aren’t giving them much of a chance. City are 2/9 at Blue Square to win, while Birmingham are way out at 14/1 with BetFred. A draw is trading at 11/2 with Bwin.

Newcastle, who are unbeaten in all competitions so far this season, take on Championship side Nottingham Forest. Forest are struggling to get out of the starting blocks this season though, sitting down in 22nd in the Championship, a far cry from the challenge they were putting up for the play offs last season. Still, a tricky tie for the Magpies, but they are expected to come out on top with their good form. Forest are 11/5 at Bwin for the win, while Newcastle are in at 11/8 with VC Bet. A draw is 12/5 at SkyBet.

Perhaps one of the most interesting ties will be watching Arsenal entertain Shrewsbury. With just one win in the Premier League this season, the pressure is growing on Arsene Wenger. Following a 4-3 defeat against Blackburn on the weekend, the Gunners need something positive. They should win this, with Shrewsbury down in League Two, currently occupying third spot there. Wenger may throw some of his fringe players into action, to try and get something going at the club. Another defeat here would be unthinkable for the Frenchman, and Arsenal are 2/9 at Victor Chandler to see this out, while Shrewsbury are out at 12/1. A draw is 11/2 at BetFred.

Arsenal’s conquerors on the weekend, Blackburn, host Leyton Orient, who are rock bottom of League One, so it should be a good opportunity for under fire boss Steve Kean to settle the restless fans again. Rovers are 4/1 at Bet365 to win, with Orient out at 17/2 with Victor Chandler to cause the upset. A draw is 4/1 at Victor Chandler.

Carling Cup Outright winner odds
Manchester City: 5/1 at Stan James
Chelsea: 6/4 at Victor Chandler
Manchester United: 7/1 at Coral
Liverpool: 7/1 at Stan James
Arsenal: 9/1 at Stan James
Spurs: 14/1 at Victor Chandler