The English Football League Cup brings us two fantastic clashes. Liverpool is hosting Arsenal at home, while Chelsea meets Manchester United. Although the EFL Cup doesn’t have a tradition as the FA Cup, be sure that neither of the clubs mentioned above is going to take this challenge for granted. The prestige and the reputation are at stake, and you simply can’t allow the great rival to defeat you without a fierce fight. Even though the managers will probably mix the starting lineups, be sure that those on the pitch will do everything in order to win. Therefore, excitement is guaranteed.
Liverpool vs Arsenal
The Reds are having a fantastic time since the season started. After playing 1-1 against Man Utd, they bounced back with two wins, one in the Champions League, and another against the Tottenham Hotspurs. For sure, Jurgen Klopp will leave out several of his top stars, as we all know that he isn’t a fan of the Cup competitions. But, when we look at the Reds’ bench, we can see a lot of players who are more than eager to prove their worth. The same applies to Arsenal. The Gunners have a young and potent roster with numerous talents just waiting for their moment to shine.
What is the difference between these two sides currently is the mood coming in this event. Liverpool is fired up, while Arsenal suffered a slap in the face at Emirates. Although leading 2-0 against Crystal Palace, they ended up with just one point in their pocket. There is also one more thing which isn’t very convenient for the Gunners. They have only one win in the previous five games on the road. The most recent travel outside London against Sheffield Utd ended with a 1-0 loss. It is also the first time since the start of the season that Emery’s team failed to score in away game. Liverpool’s latest five home games all saw both sides to net and over 2.5 goals, but the Reds won each one of them.
So our final prediction here is to bet on a high number of scores, 2.5 at least. Both parties like to be offensive and are attacking-minded, making them a perfect fit for our choice. Odds at BetXChange are 0.55.
Chelsea vs Manchester United
The Blues recorded their seventh consecutive win this weekend after demolishing Burnely on the road with 4-2. Christian Pulisic scored a hat-trick showing just how lethal he can be. After two wins, and games ending with under 2.5 goals, the Blues once again started playing their usual contests, which includes high efficiency and both sides scoring. There is one more thing, four of their previous five events were away from home, which tells us that Lampard’s guys are growing very fast.
After five weeks, United managed to put together two consecutive wins. Although they didn’t impress against Partizan in Belgrade, where the referee saved them against the Serbian team, Solskjaer’s team rose to the occasion versus Norwich, posting an important victory. But even in this one, the Red Devils frustrated their fans. Two missed penalties, one by Rashford and another by Martial, were something that didn’t allow either their manager or the fans to feel satisfied following the final whistle. A 1-3 win against the Canaries was only the second match in the recent 10, which was over 2.5 goals, as the Norwegian likes a conservative approach, emphasizing the defensive efforts, and attacking later.
We believe that both Lampard and Solskjaer are going to change the respective starting lineups radically. Premiership battles are more important for Chelsea and United, and that is a fact. Regarding this match, a moderate efficiency, meaning between 2 and 3 goals is the most reasonable pick. BetXChange’s offer for that is 0.90. Having in mind United’s troubles with consistency and injured players, betting on Chelsea would also be a smart move. The odds on this are at 0.88.
