Football betting tips: Carabao Cup
2.5pts Arsenal to win in 90 mins and over 1.5 goals at 10/11 (General)
1.5pts Arsenal win to nil at 29/20 (William Hill)
0.5pt Borna Sosa to be shown a card at 17/4 (BetVictor)
0.5pt Nathaniel Clyne to be shown a card at 5/1 (William Hill)
0.5pt Justin Devenny to be shown a card at 11/2 (BetVictor)
Crystal Palace's relentless fixture list has inevitably started catching up with them.
They showed great resilience in bouncing back from successive defeats against Strasbourg and Manchester United by winning at Burnley, Fulham and Shelbourne, but a chastening week has followed.
Palace were heavily beaten by Manchester City and Leeds either side of a home draw with Finnish minnows KuPS, a result that forced them into the Conference League play-off stage; just an extra two games then.
Ismaila Sarr is away at AFCON. Daichi Kamada and Daniel Munoz are now out for significant periods, joining Cheick Doucore and long-term absentee Chadi Riad on the sidelines, further exposing a threadbare squad Oliver Glasner recently criticised the club for failing to strengthen.
Palace now head into their 28th match of the season, their 10th in 31 days and what will by January 10 have been 15 in 50.
A trip to Premier League leaders ARSENAL for a Carabao Cup quarter-final could hardly have been more brutally timed. The Gunners - who have won 11 and drawn one (with Manchester City) home game this season - have seen their own injury issues ease.
Mikel Arteta was able to name eight full internationals on the bench for their win at Everton on Saturday, exciting teenager Ethan Nwaneri, a player with 50 first-team appearances, the only exception.
The home side are a best price of 4/7 to win in 90 minutes, illogically longer than they were in this league fixture in October. ARSENAL WIN TO NIL can be backed at 29/20 and ARSENAL TO WIN AND OVER 1.5 GOALS is available at 10/11.
Both have been winners in 16 of the Gunners' 20 victories this season. Although the price is significantly better about the former, the latter acts as a safety net against the less reliable, injury-disrupted Arsenal defence which has kept three clean sheets in nine.
🗣️ Mikel Arteta on if Gabriel Jesus is ready to start: “Yes, he is. You can tell that, not only in games but in training - how much he wants it. He’s going to deserve a chance soon…” ✅👀
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) December 22, 2025
pic.twitter.com/1KJAAHpFh5
There is plenty of guesswork when it comes to Carabao Cup team selection, but Arteta has suggested the fit-again Gabriel Jesus may start, cooling my Jake Osgathorpe-inspired Mikel Merino to score anytime, a brace and a hat-trick (11/4, 16/1 and 175/1 with Paddy Power) tips.
Jesus' potential inclusion has pushed me towards a different angle. Arsenal’s likely XI leaves them strongly biased towards the left-hand side of the pitch, with Myles Lewis-Skelly, Eberechi Eze (as a number 10 who drifts left), Gabriel Martinelli and Jesus (a left-drifting centre-forward).
Losing the outstanding Munoz to injury has been a huge blow to Palace, with no obvious replacement for such a uniquely athletic wing-back.
NATHANIEL CLYNE, JUSTIN DEVENNY and BORNA SOSA have each played right wing-back in his absence. None look comfortable.
At prices of between 17/4 and 11/2 I'm prepared to back each TO BE SHOWN A CARD in an attempt to capitalise on an obvious mismatch.
Sosa has also been used at left wing-back, while Devenny has played both in midfield and higher up the pitch, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that more than one of them starts.
Odds correct at 14:30 GMT (22/12/25)
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