Manchester United and Manchester City should be untroubled, but Brighton, Millwall and Shrewsbury could all pull off memorable upsets
The Carling Cup always throws up a mixed bag, teams who take it seriously, sides who don’t, and invariably wish they had done the opposite.
Recent winners include Manchester United – three times in five years, Tottenham, and most surprising of all, Birmingham City.
It is difficult to assess who came off worse from last year’s Carling Cup final; Birmingham beat Arsenal 2-1 and had their moment of glory, but it let them ease off the gas at the wrong stage of the season, ending in relegation.
For Arsenal a victory was supposed to get their lack of silverware monkey off their backs- but it sent them into a downwards spiral which could even present its nadir tonight.While Manchester United and City should each see off Leeds and Birmingham respectively, there is potential for disappointment for the Premier League big boys this week.Here is a look at three ties in this Carling Cup third round which could throw up a surprise…
Liverpool v Brighton
Kenny Dalglish would love to crown his first full season back in charge of Liverpool with a trophy, and the Carling Cup presents a great opportunity.
However the draw and the timing of this tie could not have been worse.
They travel to a resurgent Brighton side who are flying like never before, and this promises to be quite a tie at the new Amex Stadium.
The Seagulls are coming off a 1-0 defeat to Leicester at the weekend, which is nothing in comparison to Liverpool’s 4-0 humbling at Spurs on Sunday.
The reds have Martin Skrtel and Charlie Adam suspended as a result of ill-discipline in that match, but it presents a chance for fringe players such as Jay Spearing and Craig Bellamy to shine, and could Andy Carroll feature in a bid to regain his form?
All eyes will be on Dalglish’s selection- he will pick a strong side, but the big question is whether or not captain Steven Gerrard will make his return from injury?
Gus Poyet has a growing reputation as a manager and if he can lead Brighton to victory here, his stock will be higher than ever.
Liverpool lost at this stage at home to Northampton last season and are no strangers to upsets. The bookies are wary and offer odds as short as 4/1 that Brighton will win.
Arsenal v Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury have a chance of beating Arsenal. Words which seem implausible to type yet even the most ardent Gooner will admit to feeling a little nervous about this match.
After their 8-2 capitulation at Old Trafford and 4-3 collapse at Blackburn on Saturday, Arsenal are looking more than just a bit shaky.
For Shrewsbury Town this is one of the biggest ties in recent history, and they will be determined not to let their fans down.
It is very questionable what sort of side Wenger will put out, but expect Oxlade-Chamberlain to feature, alongside deadline-day signings Andre Santos and Park Chu-Young.
It is hard to imagine Wenger caring much for this competition, after the strife it caused them last year, but if they were to crash out in front of their own fans, it would surely be his lowest moment as Arsenal manager, and calls for his head may get too much even for him to bear.
It could be a stroll in the park of course, a moment of light relief in a concerning times, the club could cruise to a 5-0 victory or eek out an unimpressive 1-0.
But do not forget Arsenal have had their troubles with lower league opposition of late, losing to Ipswich in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg last year and only drawing away to Leyton Orient in the FA Cup. If there is a draw at the Emirates, there will be the lottery of penalties.
Bookies make Shrewsbury a surprisingly short 9/1 to win in 90 minutes, a gamble for the brave punter.
Wolves v Millwall
This one is the most likely upset of the lot. The Carling Cup represents Wolves manager Mick McCarthy’s worst nightmare.
For McCarthy his bread and butter is Premier League survival, nothing else matters. Cup competitions are an unwelcome distraction.
What happened to Birmingham last season will not have changed his mind on that one, and the prospect of trekking to eastern Europe for a meaningless Europa League tie could not be less appealing.
The tie they are presented with this week is a home fixture with south London club Millwall. McCarthy will look to rotate his squad, but the problem is, he does not have the strength in depth other Premier League sides do, and the club is suffering its own injury problems.
Coming off a home defeat to QPR, and with a tricky tie away at Anfield this weekend, it is fair to say this match does not feature high on the list of Wolves’ priorities.
Millwall however would love a cup run, to repeat their FA Cup success of 2004. This would just be one step, but after a solid start to the Championship, they will be well up for this one, and are just 3/1 to win, which still represents good value.
Image: © wonker
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