Carabao Cup tips and predictions: Best bets and previews
Round four of the Carabao Cup gets under way on Tuesday, and George Gamble is on hand to provide best bets from across the contests.
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Football betting tips: Carabao Cup
2pts Both Teams to Score in Blackburn v N Forest at 11/14 (vBet)
2pts Both Teams to Score in Man Utd v Burnley at 17/20 (William Hill)
1.5pts Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals in Man City v Liverpool at 17/20 (William Hill)
*All bets settled in 90 minutes unless otherwise stated.
Blackburn v Nottingham Forest
- Kick-off time: 19:45 BST, Wednesday
- Blackburn 21/10 | Draw 23/10 | Nottingham Forest 13/10
Despite the odd poor result, Blackburn have been quite impressive in the Championship this term, winning 13 of their 23 outings and successfully scoring in ten of their 11 home league games. They have also scored at least twice in all three of their League Cup outings so far, including away at Premier League side West Ham.
Visitors Nottingham Forest secured their long-awaited promotion back to the Premier League but have since struggled and currently sit inside of the relegation zone.
Boss Steve Cooper will be keen to secure a victory here ahead of the Premier League resuming and would also like to improve defensively on the road, having conceded in six of their seven away trips in the league.
These two look evenly matched and whilst they both have higher ambitions, an opportunity to reach the quarter-final of this competition will be seen as a big achievement.
Both of these two sides look far better going forward than they do in a defensive capacity.
Blackburn have conceded seven goals across their last three league matches and were exceptionally lucky not to ship a couple more last time out away to Norwich.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest have some good options in attack but the hosts will be confident they can get on the scoresheet against a side that has conceded the most Premier League goals this term.
BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE looks to be the standout pick.
Score Prediction: Blackburn 1-2 Nottingham Forest (Sky Bet odds: 15/2)
Odds correct 1750 BST (19/12/22)
Manchester United v Burnley
- Kick-off time: 20:00 GMT, Wednesday
- TV Channel: Sky Sports Football
- Man Utd 2/5 | Draw 19/5 | Burnley 13/2
Read George Gamble's full preview here
This clash between Manchester United and Burnley is an enticing one given the circumstances. The hosts will inevitably be weakened with a number of their players returning for the World Cup and their makeshift backline will undoubtedly be tested here.
For all the positives, Burnley have been a little bit suspect defensively on the road and have conceded in eight of their Championship away matches.
With match sharpness still likely being a contributing factor, the quality of the forwards of Manchester United irrespective of World Cup absences and both sides being anything but watertight at the back, BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE looks a likely contender and is the standout selection.
Score prediction: Manchester United 2-1 Burnley (Sky Bet odds: 7/1)
Odds correct at 1810 GMT (19/12/22)
Manchester City v Liverpool
- Kick-off time: 20:00 GMT, Thursday
- TV Channel: Sky Sports Football
- Man City 19/20 | Draw 14/5 | Liverpool 5/2
Read George Gamble's full preview here
We could see an array of youngsters looking to make a name for themselves in action here and it will still be a lively affair, with fringe players excited at the prospect of playing in one of the biggest clashes of English football across recent years.
Five of the last six meetings between these sides have seen both teams strike and at least three goals in total, we could be in for another fascinating tie.
It’s inevitable that all sides will need to find their rhythm after the World Cup break and that can often mean that more chances are produced than normal.
Even before the break, League matches at the Etihad Stadium were producing an average of 4.9 goals per game and the philosophies of both these sides tends to mean constant attacking and counter-attacking.
That should ring true once again here and the standout pick looks to be BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE AND OVER 2.5 GOALS at the Etihad.
Score prediction: Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool (Sky Bet odds: 10/1)
Odds correct at 1845 GMT (19/12/22)
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