The Carabao Cup final sees Manchester City take on Tottenham and Tom Carnduff has four best bets for the Wembley contest.
Football betting tips: Manchester City v Tottenham
1pt Sergio Reguilon and Giovani Lo Celso both to be carded at 10/1 (bet365)
1pt Phil Foden to have 1+ assists at 10/3 (Betfair)
1pt Ilkay Gundogan to score anytime at 18/5 (Unibet)
0.5pts Ilkay Gundogan to score 2+ goals at 29/1 (Unibet)
Manchester City have dominated this competition in recent seasons. They're on a three season winning streak with four of the last five trophies belonging to them. Victory over Tottenham on Sunday while equal Liverpool's record of eight League Cup successes.
In Tottenham, they face a side in the unfamiliar position of being within touching distance of a trophy. Ryan Mason's temporary spell in charge started with victory over struggling Southampton but this will be a huge task to get the better of Pep Guardiola's dominant City.
City know how to win, and the potential absence of Harry Kane will be felt more by Tottenham than Kevin De Bruyne will be to City. Even with Champions League involvement in midweek, the importance of this game will be clear to Guardiola and we can expect a strong line-up.
A midfielder who should be involved is Ilkay Gundogan, and it's a surprise to see a price as big as 18/5 available on GUNDOGAN TO SCORE ANYTIME in this game. He's enjoying a prolific season with 16 goals in 39 games across all competitions.
His importance to this City side is clear in the fact his only appearance in this competition was the semi-final victory over Manchester United. He's a player providing a threat in front of goal, Gundogan's last five Premier League outings have seen a combined total of nine shots - an impressive tally considering two of those were substitute appearances.
I'm not worried about the fact there has only been one goal in Gundogan's last seven league games. City's involvement in all four competitions has led to plenty of rotation but he constantly performs when he is involved. The 18/5 best price is likely taking that into account but it shouldn't.
There is also the potential that Gundogan is on penalty duty. Paul Tierney has awarded four penalties in his last six Premier League games - that run includes City's 3-0 win over Tottenham in February - but more on that referee for another bet later.
That game saw Gundogan score twice, and with big odds available on a goal anytime, there is 29/1 out there on GUNDOGAN TO SCORE 2+ GOALS in this one which is worth a small stakes play. The midfielder has scored a brace in three of his last ten Premier League starts.
Sticking with City players, Phil Foden is enjoying an exceptional campaign and there's a really attractive 10/3 available on FODEN HAVING 1+ ASSIST in this game. He has two assists in three appearances in this competition.
He is often handed the responsibility of delivering set-pieces and that gives extra hope to this selection. Foden's last four Premier League games have seen a combined seven key passes with two assists coming in the 5-2 hammering of Southampton.
While he didn't register an assist in the win over Tottenham, he did post three key passes in that game so could have easily had one. Considering his stop-start involvement in certain competitions, Foden having nine assists this season is a really good return.
Switching our attention to the Tottenham side of things, Tierney's appointment as the referee for this game provides value in the cards market. 18 of his 20 Premier League games this season have seen him show three or more yellows, with four in the last meeting between these two sides.
Three of those yellows were shown to Tottenham players and I like the 10/1 available on SERGIO REGUILON AND GIOVANI LO CELSO BOTH BEING CARDED here. The expectation of Spurs being on the back foot for the majority of this game should lead to bookings for the 'away' side.
Both see a regular stream of fouls in the Premier League. Reguilon averages 1 per game while Lo Celso is on a sightly higher 1.2. The latter's number will be affected by a number of substitute appearances, although he still has five on his tally.
For Reguilon, he has five yellows across all competitions and has seen at least one foul in seven of his last nine Premier League contests. Whichever team City go for, the left-back will be busy dealing with the threat out wide.
Victory for Ryan Mason would give him a trophy inside his opening week as a manager. The neutral may be attracted to the story that provides, but City are just a class above and love this competition. They are odds-on for success here and should get the job done in normal time.
With the odds so heavy in City's favour, the best value can be found in backing GUNDOGAN, FODEN, REGUILON and LO CELSO being involved across the 90 minutes.
Manchester City v Tottenham best bets and score prediction
- 1pt Sergio Reguilon and Giovani Lo Celso both to be carded at 10/1 (bet365)
- 1pt Phil Foden to have 1+ assists at 10/3 (Betfair)
- 1pt Ilkay Gundogan to score anytime at 18/5 (Unibet)
- 0.5pts Ilkay Gundogan to score 2+ goals at 29/1 (Unibet)
Score prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Tottenham (Sky Bet odds: 11/1)
Odds correct at 1830 BST (23/04/21)
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