The quarter-finals of the EFL Cup take place this week, with eight Premier League clubs looking to take a step closer to reaching Wembley.
On Wednesday there is a London derby as Arsenal play host to a Crystal Palace side that knocked out Aston Villa in the fourth round.
Newcastle United defeated Chelsea to reach this stage and now face another team from west London, as Brentford travel to St James’ Park.
Premier League leaders Liverpool will fancy their chances against the top-flight’s bottom club Southampton, as the Reds look to defend the trophy that they won last season under Jurgen Klopp.
Then, on Thursday, there is a clash between two big clubs who have been struggling of late, as Tottenham take on Manchester United.
- ARSENAL WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE VS CRYSTAL PALACE
- NEWCASTLE WIN AND OVER 2.5 GOALS VS BRENTFORD
- LIVERPOOL WIN TO NIL VS SOUTHAMPTON
- TOTTENHAM AND MANCHESTER UNITED OVER 3.5 GOALS
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
Wednesday’s EFL Cup quarter-finals provide us with a London derby between Arsenal and a Crystal Palace team that comes into this match on a high.
The Eagles won 3-1 away at their rivals Brighton on Sunday and are now 15th in the Premier League, having put together an unbeaten run of five matches.
Palace have already enjoyed a big away win in this competition, having knocked out Villa in the last round with a 2-1 victory, in a game in which Oliver Glasner put out a strong side.
How strong Mikel Arteta chooses to go with his line-up is a key question, with Arsenal having dropped points in the Premier League title race at the weekend, with a 0-0 home draw against Everton.
Looking back at the teams that defeated Bolton and Preston this season in previous rounds and the one that lost to West Ham last season in the EFL Cup, it seems likely that the Gunners will have a very different side than they fielded on Saturday.
Yet due to the quality that Arteta has at his disposal they can still have a strong line-up, who will have the advantage of playing at home and being relatively fresh.
For that reason Arsenal have to be expected to win, but Palace should get on the scoresheet, as they have now managed in eight of their last nine games.
ARSENAL WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
Newcastle vs Brentford
Newcastle meet Brentford for the second time this month, with the hosts hoping for a different result this time round.
When they faced each other in the Premier League recently, it was the Bees that ran out as 4-2 winners.
Yet Brentford’s form at home, where they are unbeaten in ten games this season, is very different to their away record.
A 2-1 defeat at Chelsea over the weekend means that Thomas Frank’s team are still waiting for their first away victory of the season, having drawn once and lost seven.
Brentford, therefore, start as underdogs in this one, against a Newcastle side that beat Chelsea 2-1 at St James’ Park in the last round of this competition.
Eddie Howe named a very strong team for that game as the English manager is able to take this competition seriously, with the club not involved in European fixtures this season.
Newcastle should win this one in a game that could see plenty of goals, based on the most recent match between these sides.
NEWCASTLE WIN AND OVER 2.5 GOALS
Southampton vs Liverpool
Southampton host Premier League leaders Liverpool at a time when they are without a permanent manager.
The Saints sacked Russell Martin on Sunday night after a humiliating 5-0 home defeat to Spurs, in which all of the goals were scored in the first half.
Southampton’s under-21 manager Simon Rusk will take temporary charge while the club searches for a permanent replacement.
The former England U19 head coach has nothing to lose by picking the strongest side possible and is likely to try and tighten things up, with Martin’s expansive style having left his team hopelessly open at the back.
Regardless of who Rusk picks, it seems unlikely that he will get the better of Liverpool, who have the luxury of being able to rotate and still select a team packed with internationals.
The EFL Cup holders have already beaten West Ham and Brighton in this competition this season and will be itching to get back to winning ways after drawing 2-2 at home to Fulham on Saturday.
With Saints potentially focused on becoming more defensively solid, Liverpool could win without conceding on Wednesday.
LIVERPOOL WIN TO NIL
Tottenham vs Manchester United
Tottenham and Manchester United both come into this game off the back of a morale-boosting win.
Spurs ended a five-match run without a win with that 5-0 victory over Southampton and, with all their goals coming in the first 45 minutes, they were able to take their foot off the gas after the break and give some key players a rest.
Ange Postecoglou remains under some pressure and reaching the semi-finals of this competition would help to further ease it.
The Lilywhites don’t have enough fit players to make major chances and with the manager needing success in this competition, we should expect a strong side.
The same is true for United, with Ruben Amorim looking to build on his side’s dramatic comeback derby win against Manchester City on Sunday.
Eyebrows were raised at the new manager’s brave decision to omit Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from his squad for the derby, but he was rewarded by the match-winning performance of Amad Diallo.
United should be more competitive than was the case than when they were well-beaten at Old Trafford by Tottenham earlier this season and we could be treated to a very entertaining match.
OVER 3.5 GOALS
