Chelsea
Towards the end of last season and for the majority of this season thus so far, Chelsea look a very different side but in a positive way by all means. They have flourished under the new management and have achieved some very good results, even in the Premier League this season, great wins over Tottenham and Arsenal and they have done well against a lot of the lower league teams. Check out all the free bets available for Capital One Cup matches here.
Chelsea look like a team who could challenge both Manchester clubs for the Premier League, but also the League Cup is going to be on their list of aims to do well in. Although one negative that is given attention to during the League Cup is the depth of talent or lack of it for Chelsea’s second team you could see. Usually, Chelsea does not rotate their squad around well so much, but perhaps this is a positive because the team connects well. But you see times like Arsenal, Manchester United, City and even teams such as Spurs rotate their teams around so much, especially for the League Cup, but the fact that Chelsea has not done so throughout the years must signify that they as a club take this competition seriously.
Chelsea’s last match against Wolves was spectacular, the score line was 6-0 but in all honestly Chelsea could have put in at least 15, they created chance after chance and Wolve’s goalkeeper kept many goals out. Chelsea dominated possession in this match having 63% by the time the full time whistle was blown. Additionally, they had 20 shots 13 of which were on target. Although Wolves are by no means a top team, it has to be considered that Wolves did not play their strongest line up, so with this in consideration the score line was potentially predictable once you see the attacking force Chelsea started with.
Nevertheless, Chelsea have found some form over the past weeks and they did do quite well against Manchester United in the Premiership, so it’s not in dispute that Chelsea will take the League Cup serious this season and have the potential to do far.
Manchester United
Manchester United are always undoubtedly one of the favourites to win any trophy in which they are competition for. But one major problem the reds have suffered this season is their defensive problems, they concede to many early goals, they have been behind 8 times in the Premier League thus so far, this is something that the manager has expressed that he is not happy with, and it’s just silly mistakes that cause this lapse of concentration. But then again, Manchester United are not short of attacking dominance, they continually score many goals. In United’s last four games they have scored 3 or more goals, with the total of 14 goals, but they have equally conceded 6, so it’s below the 50% threshold but this is not something United want to continually do. But then again, consider the fact that United with the talent they possess will for certain sort out their defensive problems, then with the attacking force they have and the potential to be strong in defence, this scenario is a scary thought for any opposition.
Manchester United have traditionally done very well in the League Cup over the years, but then again have been criticised for their team selection as well, with silly defeats against teams such as Crystal Palace and Coventry not long ago, even in the FA Cup for example against Leeds a few years back. With any English domestic cup United do tend to let their inexperienced players showcase their skills, but sometimes to United’s detriment. But after last seasons failure in nearly all the cups, United look to go hard in this tournament this year as well as all the others.
It is not surprising that football fans would have been licking their lips when the draw for this match was delivered, especially after realising the fact that these two teams will play each other twice in a row. The match on Sunday in the Premier League was a strong advocate for English football, there was attacks from each side, highly paced football and many highly contentious points. Both teams played very well but Chelsea struggled defensively in many occasions, but so would many other teams when they are under pressure from Rooney, Van Persie and Hernandez just to name a few. But still, it is likely that Wednesdays League Cup match will be a different kettle of fish. Both teams but perhaps United might make some significance changes. United have a huge squad and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few young players start. But generally, this is going to be an attacking match with surely many goals, this match could go either way but Manchester United are on the road to improvement, whereas Chelsea are slightly on the decline with two defeats in two including the Champions League defeat.
Prediction: Chelsea 1 – 3 Manchester United 28/1 with BetFred
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Article by Mani Basi
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