It is the third round of the Carling Cup this week and all the big guns are now involved in the competition, but does anybody really care about the Carling Cup?
Sure once it gets to the semi finals and final then teams start taking the competition more seriously as they have a chance of getting some silverware but the rounds before that teams tend to see this as an opportunity to rest their star players and play their second string. This is not just the big clubs either it tends to span the whole Premier League and even to some extent the lower league teams.
Clubs see the competition at this stage as a distraction from their main focus of competing for top four or promotion places or just staying in the league. So does this devalue the competition?
The answer to this is clearly yes. The Carling Cup is now seen as an opportunity to give playing time to those on the fringes of the squad, especially for Premier League teams and although this may give the lower league clubs more of a chance to progress, it devalues the competition and the experience for the lower league players pitting their wits against the best players in the country.
A classic example of how the top clubs view the Carling Cup will be tonight’s televised game between Arsenal and Spurs. Now this North London derby would usually see both clubs putting out their strongest sides in a no holds barred contest, but with both teams competing in the Champions League this season expect it to be more like a reserve fixture. Even with the fierce rivalry I don’t think either set of fans will be too bothered about the result.
It seems to me that nobody really cares about the Carling Cup, even mid table Premiership teams don’t take it too seriously at the start, and there is a Europa League spot up for grabs for the winners. It has become a second string competition and maybe a competition too much in an already overcrowded fixture schedule.
I can’t decide whether to put any bets on for tonight games as the Carling Cup is very unpredictable especially at this stage, but below are my top bets anyway, I’ve tried to throw in a couple of shocks as there are bound to be some.
Sunderland v West Ham – West Ham at odds of 7/2
Although West Ham have struggled this season and are away from home Sunderlands Carling Cup record is terrible and I don’t expect them to play a strong team. I’m going for a West Ham win.
Wolves v Notts County – Notts County at 5/1
Wolves are likely to play a weakened team with a view of maintaining their Premiership status. Notts County have started well this season and I am going for an away win.
Stoke City v Fulham – Stoke at 5/4
It is hard to look past Stoke at home and I think they will play a relatively strong team against Fulham. So Stoke win on this game
Peterborough v Swansea – Swansea at odds of 8/5
A tough one to call this both teams are 8/5 to win so I’ve gone with Swansea who have had a good start to their league campaign and should have enough to beat Peterborough
If you fancy an accumulator then £10 on these four games tonight nets you a massive £1,500, with them odds I’m putting a bet on for sure.
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