Capital One Cup 2014: Odds, Predictions for Remaining 3rd Round Fixtures
The third round of the 2014 Capital One Cup already delivered a handful of major upsets on Tuesday, and the top teams will be warned when they take to the pitch on Wednesday.
Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham will all host seemingly overmatched clubs on Wednesday, but as we've seen countless times before, all logic goes out the window when it comes to cup football.
Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton have already been kicked out of the Capital One Cup while Liverpool needed an epic penalty shootout to get past lowly Middlesbrough. The remaining top clubs have been warned: None of these challengers are pushovers.
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Here's the schedule for Wednesday, with updated odds (courtesy of Oddschecker.com) and predictions:
| Burton (27-10) | 5-2 | Brighton (15-13) | 0-2 |
| Chelsea (2/9) | 13-2 | Bolton (17-1) | 3-0 |
| Man City (1-4) | 13-2 | Sheffield Wednesday (14-1) | 3-1 |
| Tottenham (4-6 | 10-3 | Notingham Forest (9-2) | 2-1 |
| Crystal Palace (13-8) | 10-3 | Newcastle (19-10) | 3-2 (after extra time) |
| West Brom (13-10) | 12-5 | Hull City (5-2) | 0-1 |
More Scares for Top Clubs?
Arsenal and Everton were the latest favourites to bow out of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday, both falling at the hands of Premier League clubs. City, Chelsea and Spurs have the luxury of taking on squads from the lower divisions, but don't expect all three to breeze through their matches and win 5-0.
The Blues are playing a struggling Bolton Wanderers club, and given their impressive depth, they should have little difficulty on Wednesday.
Assistant manager Steve Holland already confirmed the match will give manager Jose Mourinho a chance to rotate his squad.
"It is an opportunity to rotate the squad," Holland said, according to the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel. "We will do that for sure. In terms of who definitely is and who definitely isn't play at the moment that's unclear. There will be some changes tomorrow and it will be an opportunity for some players to stake a claim."
Resting your starters always carries some risk, but on this occasion, Chelsea shouldn't run into any difficulties.
The same goes for the Citizens, who will host Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls have enjoyed a solid start to the season and have a strong squad, but manager Stuart Gray will turn his attention to the play-off race in the Championship rather than risk injuries in a match his team has little chance of winning.
Tottenham are the most likely team to struggle on Wednesday although they should eventually find a way to break down the Nottingham Forest defence.
The Reds lead the Championship standings and are favourites to earn promotion to the Premier League for the 2015-16 season. Spurs don't have the depth the likes of Chelsea and City do—if manager Mauricio Pochettino decides to rest one or two key starters, Forest have the potential to make for an excellent match at White Hart Lane.
Last Chance for Alan Pardew?
To say things haven't gone Newcastle United's way in 2014-15 would be an understatement. Manager Alan Pardew might be the least popular man in the city right now, and fans are eagerly anticipating his sacking.
The fact he's still managing the Magpies is a small miracle, and Wednesday's match could just be the final push. Just his starting XI will be fuel for fans and pundits to question his decision-making.
Can the Magpies afford to play their starters in a cup match knowing full well they're losing the fight against relegation? Probably not, but can Pardew afford an early exit from the Capital One Cup?
Metro's Paul Mannion believes he has no choice but to do whatever it takes to win against Crystal Palace:
"Newcastle need to emulate local rivals Sunderland. Paolo Di Canio kicked off their run to the final last season, before he was fired, and Gus Poyet lead the Black Cats all the way to Wembley Stadium and secured their Premier League status.
It also isn't out of reach. The year before Swansea and then-League Two side Bradford contested the final, and Championship side Cardiff lost to Liverpool in 2012. We're not talking about the Champions League final here.
Alan Pardew came out fighting after Saturday's 2-2 draw with Hull City but will have to lock horns with Ashley and take the game to Wednesday's third round opposition Crystal Palace if he is to start winning over the fans.
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Palace haven't lost in their last three Premier League fixtures, including a 3-3 draw against the Magpies and an impressive 3-2 win over Everton.
With the Eagles seemingly carrying all of the momentum going into this match, Pardew's fate may just (finally) be decided on Wednesday.
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