Carabao Cup: Outright preview with free betting tips for 2020/21 competition
Tom Carnduff picked the winner of the Champions League and Europa League last season. He's hoping for more success with a 33/1 Carabao Cup pick.
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1pt e.w. Leicester to win the Carabao Cup at 33/1 (1,2 1/2)
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A competition that previously divided opinion found itself at the heart of further debate this season with the late start adding to the fixture congestion.
The Carabao Cup is seen as an inconvenience by some while others view it as a genuine chance to win some silverware; that is until Manchester City turn up and claim a trophy they have made their own under Pep Guardiola's guidance.
That is one of City's many strengths. They can rotate their squad in this tournament, playing a second string most of the time, and still celebrate on the Wembley turf. It's a chance for honours and they more often than not take it. Given their summer recruitment that case for success here only gets stronger but at a general price of 5/2 there is simply no value in backing the current holders in a knockout tournament placed in the midst of a hectic schedule.
Carabao Cup 2020/21 schedule
- Third Round: 22nd-24th September
- Fourth Round: 29th-30th September
- Fifth Round: 22nd-23rd December
- Semi-Finals: 5th-6th January
- Final: 28th February
The positive news for many is that once this quick blitz of fixtures is over across September the cup won't return until the days just before Christmas. Single leg semi-finals will also help; those who place priority on this tournament at the beginning of the season will certainly benefit from it in the long run.
So while the Premier League and European qualification are ongoing in the opening month of the new campaign, this new schedule means it may well be worth looking at fielding strong line-ups because of how separated the rounds are. Plus, for those who have started well, games coming in quick succession can only help the momentum.
This takes us to LEICESTER, a side who have pushed but not quite reached the final of the Carabao Cup in recent years. The last three seasons has brought two quarter-final appearances and a semi-final defeat to Aston Villa.
They've started the new campaign in the best way possible with two wins; scoring seven goals and conceding two in the process. Even with the Europa League involvement this season, the Carabao Cup always feels like a good opportunity for a club like Leicester, just on the outskirts of the top-four, to add a trophy to the cabinet.
What we have seen from Brendan Rodgers in his selection is that he takes this competition seriously. Contests against fellow Premier League sides last season brought virtually a full-strength line-up with a few tweaks and you imagine he's likely to go the same this year, particularly with their third and fourth round fixtures.
The draw goes a long way to explaining why Leicester are huge 33/1 outsiders. In any other season, they'd likely be around the 10/1 mark with Tottenham, Everton and Manchester United.
The third round handed them a home tie against Arsenal and victory there will see a very likely game against Liverpool at Anfield. What we have seen from Jurgen Klopp though is that he doesn't view either domestic cup as a priority. With an intense title race against Manchester City likely this season, plus Champions League disappointment in 2019/20, it's likely to be the same approach for the new campaign.
Of course, Mikel Arteta has got his own desire for silverware at Arsenal and we haven't yet seen his attitude to this competition as a manager; although he was used to winning it when he was working alongside Guardiola at City. FA Cup games against fellow Premier League sides last season did bring changes and we can expect the same here.
Plus, the Gunners actually look like a side who could seriously challenge for the top-four this season; that is something that hasn't been achieved since the Arsene Wenger days. With that, plus the Europa League where they are the joint-favourites, this trophy will be towards the bottom of the priority list.
They may well win at the King Power Stadium in the third round, that is the nature of knockout football, but when you look at Arsenal, Leicester and Liverpool in this competition, Rodgers' side are the ones who will be putting the most focus into England's second domestic cup.
You have to go to 2000 for the last time Leicester lifted this trophy but they feel like a side ready to seriously compete for it once again. We seem quick to dismiss them because they don't form part of the big six, but with the big six looking elsewhere, the Foxes can pounce.
This is a tournament that seemingly suits the big six but that can be said for virtually any competition when you look at previous winners. However, Southampton and Aston Villa's involvement in finals over the last four years shows that the rest of the Premier League can get in on the act.
The disappointment of last season's semi-final defeat, when they were expected to progress, can only serve to benefit them this time around. Indeed, Rodgers identified that as an influence on future success when speaking shortly after the loss at Villa Park.
"You build experience, and especially for a lot of the young players, it's as close as they've got in terms of a cup final in these last few years," he said.
"So indirectly it will help them. It might not feel like it at the time. The next day it's hard, but they came in on Thursday, and they will get round it again."
This squad continues to grow and the way they have started this season suggests the disappointment from the collapse post-lockdown is firmly behind them. It's a bigger risk than usual given the draw, but backing Leicester for success in the Carabao Cup seems far too generous at odds of 33/1.
Odds correct at 1200 BST (21/09/20)
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