Chelsea v Liverpool: Best bets for Carabao Cup Final plus today and Monday’s Premier League games
Our betting expert with punts for Wembley showpiece, Wolves against Sheffield United and West Ham-Brentford PLUS a La Liga angle
Bet that it’s a familiar story at Wembley today.
A Big Six side has won the past 10 League Cup finals, and will again this afternoon, of course, with Liverpool against Chelsea (3pm) – but more usefully the history book hints at it being a slog.
The Blues delivered ’no scorer’ results in their two most recent appearances, both going to shoot-outs. Liverpool’s past three finals in this competition have gone to pens.
It’s 11/1 (Bet365) your choice of sides to triumph on penalties today, but take the 11/2 (Bet365) it ends in a shoot-out and you win either way. Fair enough on the numbers.
Chelsea’s numbers are a bit bleak, and several false dawns have passed by already – but here we are once again, with Mauricio Pochettino’s boys ‘on the way back up’ and ‘turning a corner’ etc. All that money and the lifts are broken.
Strong in a 1-1 at the Etihad last time out, battered at Anfield a few weeks before – hard to say which Chelsea might turn up, except that rock Thiago Silva now very possibly won’t.
His injury downgrades a Blues defence that was iffy to start with. Worldie fans could do worse than Alexis Mac Allister ‘scores from outside the box’ at 28/1 (Bet365, 90mins only).
After his £11,500 Sandwichgate fine last week, more hard cheddar looks likely to be on Chris Wilder’s plate as his Sheffield United head to Wolves (1.30pm).
The Blades are conceding goals at a huge rate. They are on track to give Swindon’s Prem record of 100 a proper wobble – and that was set in the days of 42 games.
Wilder has had a slice of luck with a key Wolves absentee, but brilliant Pedro Neto ‘OVER 0.5 assists’ still looks a pretty solid crust-earner at 2/1 (Skybet).
Osasuna’s Ante Budimer will rattle Las Palmas (5.30pm, La Liga) – be on the big fella ‘anytime scorer’ at a ripe 9/4 (Bet365)
With the stick European champion David Moyes gets at West Ham, it must be tempting to just bin it off – go and be the Saudi Pro League’s most sunburnt boss instead.
Moyes’ Irons aren’t firing. Brentford (8pm, Monday) beat them twice last year without Ivan Toney – back the Prem’s freshest striker ‘anytime scorer’ at 6/4 and Christian Norgaard (left) at 28/1 (both Bet365) ‘to score header’.
Last week: Winners at 6/5 and 7/4
