MANCHESTER CITY v ARSENAL
CARLING CUP QUARTER FINAL
City of Manchester Stadium
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2ND, 19.45GMT
After Sunday’s thumping by Chelsea, Arsenal will be gunning for glory tonight in what could be their best chance of silverware this season. However, Wenger has insisted he will stay loyal to his youngsters which sways advantage towards a draw-happy Manchester City.
City are on an incredible run of seven consecutive Premier League draws. Their only win since late September has been a 5-1 walloping of Scunthorpe in the previous round of this competition.
City boss Mark Hughes knows his job could be in jeopardy without putting something into the trophy cabinet and the League Cup could provide his best opportunity to do so. A full-strength City side will aid his cause.
From a betting perspective, it is always a tricky task to gamble on one of the top Premier League sides in this competition because strong, experienced teams are rarely fielded. Arsenal will follow suit tonight, therefore it is probably wise to side with City tonight.
TEAM NEWS
Wenger has already stated that a full-strength team will not be picked tonight, giving all those talented youngsters the chance to shine a big stage. There is no doubt there are some fantastic players at his disposal: Vela, Ramsey, Wilshere, Merida, Eastmond and Bartley. Experienced defenders Senderos and Silvestre are expected to start too.
Manchester City have no major injury worries to contend with. Gareth Barry is carrying two slight injuries but is expected to feature.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The pair have met 18 times since 2000 with Arsenal holding the upper hand by far. They have won 14 times to Manchester City’s three. There has been just one draw. Incidentally, the clubs met in the Third Round of the League Cup in 2004, with Arsenal running out 2-1 winners thanks to a late goal from Karbassiyoon.
VERDICT
Unfortunately for Gooners reading this, I’m not too confident about Arsenal’s chances of success tonight. An under strength team against a team eager for success is enough to prevent a punt on Arsenal. However, on a positive note for Gooners, the game should be open with plenty of chances for both sides who are great going forward. Expect both sides to score. Eduardo, if he starts, is overpriced at around 7/1 to score first.
RECOMMENDED
Both teams to score 8/11 (BLUESQ)
Eduardo to score first 7/1 (BETFAIR)
***Please bet responsibly. Only bet with money that you can afford to lose — not your food kitty or rent/mortgage***
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