The Carling Cup, while it may not be high up on many a managers wish list, is a competition West Ham boss Avram Grant has taken surprisingly serious this season, surprising because his Hammers side find themselves facing an uphill battle to keep their top-flight status in tact and can ill afford to pick up niggling injuries to key men. Nevertheless, Grant, who guided a Portsmouth team whiched perhaps ironically finished bottom of the Premier League last season to the final of the FA Cup, has his sights firmly set on another Wembley date and in a tournament where the competitors rarely show the competition any respect whatsoever, perhaps he is right to break the trend by targeting the Carling Cup as a plausible objective.
We’re anticipating another strong line-up from Grant tomorrow (Tuesday), much in the same vein which seen him field strong sides in previous rounds and overcome the obstacles of Oxford, Sunderland and Stoke City. However, while the former Chelsea manager had no fresh injury concerns, he is likely to be without inarguably his most consistent and reliable performer this season in captain Scott Parker. The spirited midfielder has been suffering with a chest infection recently and hasn’t ben able to train properly as a result, so Grant isn’t expected to run the risk ahead of some crucial league dates. On the plus side, he could welcome back Kieron Dyer while his side should also tackle the Red Devils in buoyant mood, after their comprehensive 3-1 victory over Wigan Athletic at the weekend ended a barren run of eight league games without a win, with even Victor Obinna getting in on the act with his first Premier League goal.
West Ham’s opponents, though, are that of the defending champions Manchester United, who have beaten Championship side Scunthorpe and fellow top-flight outfit Wolves en route to booking their place in the last-eight. Omniosuly, the Reds were in scintilating form at the weekend as they dismantled Blackburn Rovers to win 7-1 at Old Trafford. But Sir Alex will ring the changes on Tuesday with the league in mind, what with United finally enjoying a spell at the top of the league table after spending the entire season previously trailing Chelsea. Rightly so, the Red Devils’ tails will be wagging but they’ve been a sketchy outfit on their travels this season and even though their quart-final assigment looks fairly easy on paper, the fact they’ve won only two of eight competitive away matches in England (Not including Europe) combined with the probability of Ferguson fielding another unconvincing starting XI containing mainly fringe players and those in desperate need of some match practice, makes Tuesday night’s fixture anything but a stroll in the park especially as their opponents have shown this very competition a great deal more respect than themselves.
I’m sure we’ll be treated to pre-match rumours regarding the possiblity of Wayne Rooney being involved. The out of sorts striker only has two club goals to his name this season, both from the penalty spot, and while Ferguson will be eager to rebuild Rooney’s self-belief and improve his conditioning, he may look the other way in this fixture and instead target something a little more competitive and closer to home; the final group fixture in the Champions League against Valencia at Old Trafford, with the pressure off United now that they’re through to the next round.
If this was a Premier League fixture then we would have no problems touting a United win, especially at the odds available. This isn’t the Premier League though, it is the Carling Cup, a competition the Hammers have shown more intent in than the Red Devils and with the likes of Wes Brown, Anderson, Gabriel Obertan and Bebe all expected to start from the off for United, we’re more than happy to take them on. Actually, we’re desperate to. The same United side were massively unconvincing against Wolves in the previous round, where United needed a last-gasp winner from Javier Hernandez to seal progression as they squandered two leads, and even though the Hammers are without captain fantastic, a player who would of lead by example in Scott Parker, we have every confidence that they’ll be enough gusto left in the West ham dressing room following Saturday’s euphoric win in the league to ensure they give the defending champions not only a rough ride at Upton Park, but push them all the way for a place in the semi-finals.
Matt’s Selection(s):
West Ham United to WIN – 5.50 SkyBet
LAY Manchester United @ 1.85 on Betfair
West Ham to Score 1 or More Goals – 1.50 PaddyPower
Match Odds:
West Ham United – 5.50 SkyBet
Draw – 3.75 Ladbrokes
Manchester United – 1.75 PaddyPower
