Tag: Capital One Cup

Chelsea 8-1 for treble after League Cup victory

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Jose Mourinho again proved himself to be the master tactician as he out-foxed Mauricio Pochettino with Chelsea beating Spurs 2-0 in the League Cup final at Wembley.

Much of the pre-match build-up had focussed on the suspension to Nemanja Matic forcing Mourinho to re-think his midfield strategy. With Mikel injured, Mourinho turned to Kurt Zouma to play the holding role in midfield, primarily to negate the attacking threat posed by Christian Eriksen. Spurs had torn Chelsea apart in a 5-3 win at White Hart Lane on New Year’s Day but there was to be no repeat on Sunday.

Deflected goals in either half from John Terry and Kyle Walker (own-goal) gave the Blues a relatively comfortable victory in the pouring rain. Eriksen did strike the Chelsea cross-bar from a free-kick early on while the only real threat from Harry Kane was intercepted by a superb tackle from John Terry. Chelsea had chances to increase their lead through Hazard and Fabregas while Diego Costa was a persistent thorn in the side of Tottenham’s defence.

The earlier defeat of Man City at Liverpool by two goals to one had set up a perfect weekend for Chelsea. Two brilliant strikes from Henderson and Coutinho proved sufficient to dent City’s title hopes as they remain five points adrift of Chelsea having played a game more. The defeat ended a miserable week for Manuel Pellegrini’s side who had been fortunate to escape with only a 2-1 defeat at home to Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

City have been pushed out to 6-1 to win the Premiership and 66-1 to win the Champions League. Lionel Messi’s double-miss in the closing seconds has given City a slim hope of overturning the deficit in the return leg in a fortnight’s time but few expect them to do so.

Chelsea drew 1-1 in Paris against PSG and have the away goal advantage for the return leg. They will start that game as favourites but can expect a tough match against a very talented side. Paddy Power are offering odds of 8-1 against Chelsea going on to complete a treble of Capital One Cup, Premiership and Champions League. Their next fixture is a London derby at West Ham on Wednesday night while City should have little difficulty at home to Leicester. We will be previewing all of the midweek Premier League action on Betcirca.

League Cup Final Preview – Chelsea v Spurs

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The first domestic silverware of the season is decided on Sunday when Chelsea clash with London rivals Tottenham in the final of the Capital One Cup at Wembley.

Jose Mourinho led Chelsea to success in this competition back in 2004/05 before taking them to Premiership title glory. They go into the weekend with a five-point lead over champions Man City, although that gap could be reduced to two points this weekend. That won’t be a concern for Mourinho’s side on Sunday as they seek revenge for a painful 5-3 league defeat at White Hart Lane on New Year’s Day.

Much of the media spotlight has focussed on the enforced absence of Matic from this match after his red card against Burnley on Saturday. He was given a two-match ban and his natural replacement, Mikel, is currently injured. Ramires will almost certainly be asked to deputise in the holding role in midfield. Matic did play in that nightmare 5-3 defeat and Chelsea will have to defend a lot better on Sunday. Cahill and Terry were made to look woefully short of pace by Harry Kane who seems to carry Tottenham’s hopes on  his shoulders at present.

Mauricio Pochettino attempted to bluff his way into the next round of the Europa League by saving key players for this match. The plan back-fired in spectacular style and their season could be reduced to chasing an elusive top four spot once again if they lose on Sunday.

It is ironic that, in spite of all the money invested on new players, it is Kane that Spurs look to above all others. He will be under enormous pressure to perform this weekend and it would be no surprise to see him score yet again. If he is to justify the hype and wear the England number nine shirt for years to come, he will surely relish a Wembley Cup final. Unfortunately for him, the back-up crew can sometimes be found wanting. They were poor in midweek and were extremely fortunate to save a point at home to West Ham last weekend.

Kane could rock Chelsea with an early goal but I still expect Mourinho’s more experienced side to come back to win. They have plenty of potential goal scorers including Costa and Hazard and can edge to a 2-1 victory.

Best Bets

Chelsea to come from behind and draw or win @15-4 William Hill

Both teams to score @6-7 Unibet

Harry Kane to score first @7-1 Ladbrokes

Chelsea 2 Tottenham 1 @8-1 888Sport

Chelsea to win by one goal @29-10 BetVictor

Spurs set to return to Wembley

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Tottenham have won the League Cup on four previous occasions, most recently when beating Chelsea 2-1 back in 2008. They were only beaten on penalties by Manchester United the following year and will to return to Wembley if they get at least a draw against Sheffield United on Wednesday.

The competition, now in the guise of The Capital One Cup, is low on the list of priorities for the top Premiership sides but Spurs have every reason to chase silverware. Mauricio Pochettino is in his first season in charge and the club’s aim is to gain a Champions League spot. They are still in contention for a top four finish as well as battling way in the Europa League. Taking them to Wembley would certainly be a feather in Pochettino’s cap as he aims to stem the flow of managers from White Hart Lane in recent years.

Their prep for this match was not ideal, losing 2-1 at home to Leicester in the FA Cup. With the shock exit of Chelsea and Manchester City to opposition from lower leagues, few even noticed the eclipse of Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Just as Mourinho paid the price for making wholesale changes at Stamford Bridge, so did Pochettino. He made nine changes from the side which had performed moderately in the first leg against the Blades.

Tottenham will be back at full strength on Wednesday as they look to protect their slender 1-0 lead. Only a penalty from Andros Townsend spared their blushes last week but that could be enough. Nigel Clough’s team will not go through unless they attack and that will leave them vulnerable on the counter-attack.

Spurs were laboured in the first leg but will be looking to Harry Kane to make the most of any opportunities that come his way. Sheffield United are eighth in League One but Clough took a risk by resting key players for the trip to Preston in the FA Cup at the weekend. His makeshift side escaped with a draw so they are still alive in that competition.

Tottenham look good value at a shade of odds-on to win this match, although I expect it to be difficult in the first half. Harry Kane is bound to get an opportunity at some point while it may be worth taking a chance at a 3-1 score-line at long odds.

Harry Kane scores and Spurs win @9-5 Paddy Power

Tottenham to win @5-6 Bet365

Sheffield United 1 Tottenham 3 @16-1 Coral

Chelsea to bounce back from FA Cup shock

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Chelsea were stunned by Bradford in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday and will be desperate to bounce back against Liverpool in Tuesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg.

The two sides shared the spoils at Anfield a week ago with the Blues grateful to escape with a draw after a second half onslaught from the home side. Jose Mourinho made nine changes for the FA Cup and all looked to be going well as they moved into a 2-0 lead. The wheels came off dramatically after that with matters going from bad to worse after the introduction of Fabregas, Hazard and Willian.

It would be dangerous to read too much into one defeat. After all, Chelsea had put up a similar performance when conceding five goals at Tottenham but came back strongly with three victories. The last of those was a thumping 5-0 win at Swansea, a result which had the pundits spouting superlatives once again.

It seems safe to assume that Courtois, Terry, Matic and Costa will return to the side on Tuesday. Presumably Hazard, Fabregas and Willian will also start as Chelsea bid to book a Wembley place. The Capital One Cup would have been fourth in the order of preference for silverware this season but takes on new significance in the wake of Saturday’s result.

Liverpool did not exactly set the world alight with a bore draw against Bolton and face a tricky replay. The weak performances by Liverpool and Man United were almost forgotten with Chelsea and Man City crashing out so dramatically. Raheem Sterling gave Brendan Rodgers’s team a lifeline at Anfield and will be the danger man again on Tuesday night. Chelsea’s central partnership of Cahill and Terry has looked slow at times this season and it is easy to imagine Liverpool breaking through at some point.

Unfortunately for them, they are less certain to score twice with want-away skipper Steven Gerrard currently leading goal scorer with five. Meanwhile, Diego Costa has racked up 17 for the Blues and he will be trying to get under their skin again here. There was apparently some “afters” in the tunnel between Costa and Jordan Henderson so the game will have its usual spice. Chelsea are well equipped to deal with a physical contest and they can come through a typically tough encounter.

Chelsea to win in 90 minutes @4-6 BetVictor

Chelsea 3 Liverpool 1 @12-1 Bet365

Diego Costa to score and Chelsea win @7-5 Ladbrokes

Kane can book Cup Final ticket for Spurs

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Tottenham have not won a trophy since winning the League Cup in 2008 but are now just two matches away from a Wembley final.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have not always been convincing in the first half of the season but they are still in three competitions and in sixth place in the Premiership. Pochettino’s target for the season will be a top four place and Champions League qualification but any trophy would be seen as a triumph.

North London rivals Arsenal finally ended their long wait for Cup success when beating Hull in the FA Cup last season. Tottenham have been handed a gilt-edged opportunity to follow them after being drawn against League 1 side Sheffield United in the semi-final. Liverpool and Chelsea will fight out the right to meet the winners at Wembley.

Pochettino has been able to rotate his squad in order to navigate the early rounds of the Europa League. That competition could yet come back to haunt him in the second half of the season and they also have to prepare for a clash with Leicester in the FA Cup on Saturday. Harry Kane was largely responsible for the 5-3 win over Premiership leaders Chelsea and he will be expected to provide the killer touch on Wednesday evening.

It is typical of Spurs that they lost to Crystal Palace soon after that Chelsea victory but they still have some momentum going into the semi-final. Kane has scored in all the previous rounds and looks a good bet at even money to score in another Spurs win here. Spurs will be hoping to get at least a two-goal cushion for the away leg so that they can approach that game in some comfort.

Sheffield United are no mugs when it comes to Cup ties. The Blades have already beaten Southampton and West Ham in this competition and reached the FA Cup semi-final last year before that dramatic 5-3 defeat against Hull. Nigel Clough will have his team well prepared to try to frustrate the home side but it is difficult to see them holding out for 90 minutes.

Tottenham could also be a good bet on the handicap to overcome a one-goal deficit and take a step closer to Wembley.

Harry Kane to score and Spurs win @2.0 Paddy Power

Tottenham (-1.0 handicap) to win @19-20 BetVictor

Chelsea can gain upper-hand in Cup Semi-Final

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Chelsea moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a superb 5-0 victory at Swansea. Champions Man City were unable to respond when beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on Sunday and the two teams are set to clash at Stamford Bridge next weekend. The Blues now turn their attentions to the small matter of a Capital One Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield on Tuesday night.

Clashes between Liverpool and Chelsea are rarely without drama and this is unlikely to be an exception. The Reds were beaten 2-1 here earlier in the season by Jose Mourinho’s side and are still bitter about last season’s 2-0 defeat, a result which effectively ended their title hopes. There were also those epic Champions League clashes with the “ghost goal” and the incredible 4-4 result at the Bridge. Chelsea have certainly had the edge when it has mattered most, beating Liverpool in Cup finals for this trophy and the FA Cup.

It is slightly surprising that the two-legged format for the semi-finals still exists, given the European commitments of top Premiership sides these days. Chelsea can approach this game knowing that a draw would make them favourites to reach Wembley while Liverpool will be hoping that the Blues show the defensive weaknesses that were exposed by Tottenham recently.

Chelsea have not conceded in three games since and scored ten in the process so the signs are not that encouraging for Brendan Rodgers. He is likely to recall Steven Gerrard who will be desperate to atone for his slip that let in Demba Ba last season. Liverpool are on a very good run of form having only lost once in fourteen matches.

The Reds have tightened up their own defence after a sloppy start to the season and have been getting the results without doing anything spectacular. Apart from a 4-1 win over Swansea, they have still looked short of ideas going forward and may struggle to break through here. They took the lead earlier in the season, courtesy of a wicked deflection. This could end in a draw and it may be worth taking the 1-1 with William Hill, given that a “bore draw” will earn a refund.

It is difficult to be confident about Chelsea’s starting line-up but, assuming Ivanovic starts, he looks over-priced at 28-1 to break the deadlock. He has his own reasons for remembering this match after his clash with Luis Suarez. Ivanovic was in great form at Swansea and is dangerous from dead-ball situations.

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1 @6-1 William Hill*

*0-0 money refunded on correct score bets up to max. £50

Branislav Ivanovic to score first @28-1 BetVictor