Arsenal vs Manchester City: Carling Cup Preview

Published by William | Filed under Football (aka soccer), Predictions, Previews

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12/1 19:45 GMT Arsenal at Manchester City – Odds | Statistics


Manchester City play host to the young Gunners of Arsenal on Wednesday evening to see who will advance to the semi-finals of the English League Cup. The last time these two clubs met it was certainly not a friendly affair as Emmanuel Adebayor and his celebratory efforts reminded Wenger and co. why they were ready to part ways with the Togolese international this past summer. While Chelsea and Manchester United seem to have a strong hold on the Premiership title race, this may be one of the few remaining chances for either of these two sides to add some hardware to the trophy mantles making this upcoming match that more intriguing.


Manchester City:


As we all know, manager Mark Hughes and Manchester City were in the headlines quite often this summer as they spent a record amount of money acquiring stars Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Joleon Lescott. While many critics questioned whether the Citizens would see an immediate return on their investment, they were able to reel off 5 wins to start off the season. However, since their fast start City has slowed down and managed to draw an unprecedented 7 matches in a row which has in turn dropped them down to 7th place, 14 points behind league leaders Chelsea. So in short, they are desperate for a victory and now is as good a time as ever. Lucky for them, Man City will field a healthy lineup for the first time in quite a while and it is believed that Hughes will be deploying all of his stars in hopes of an uplifting win at home. Look for Robinho, Adebayor, Bellamy, and Tevez all to feature in this exciting Carling Cup quarter.


Arsenal:


Arsenal seems to have hit a bit of a rough patch as of late after losing recent Premiership matches to Sunderland and Chelsea. On the upside, between those losses was a Champions League victory over Standard Liege which was enough to send them through to the round of 16. Arsene Wenger is known to typically use the Carling Cup as an opportunity for his younger players to show what they got so it would be in my opinion that you won’t see a lineup like the one that featured this weekend against Chelsea. Furthermore, they are a bit roughed up injury-wise (Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy, Abou Diaby and Nicklas Bendtner are all out) which could increase the likelihood of Wenger going with his youngsters. One thing to keep in mind though is that Arsenal has not won a trophy since 2005 and now may be their best chance with van Persie done for the season and the Premiership race getting a little out of hand. Who will start is somewhat in the air if you ask me but don’t be surprised to see some stars substituted late.


Prediction:


Arsenal certainly has some youngsters in Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, and Sanchez Watt that are going to be stars someday but I’m not sure they are quite ready for the big leagues just yet. Emmanuel Adebayor surely will be gunning for the back of the net against his old club just as he did the last time these two met. Along with the return of a healthy Robinho and full strength lineup hungry for a win, I expect Manchester City to cruise to victory at home. Lucky for them, a draw is not an option in this playoff bout.


Pick:


Manchester City 2-0 Arsenal


Bet of the Match:


Manchester City at 1.95 from 188Bet