Born in the south east of Ireland, Simon put his life-long love of football to good use when he started a successful independent blog in 2010. That opened up an alternative route to a career in journalism, and having had work published across a number of sites and publications, Simon joined the staff at Spotlight Sports Group in 2018.
The 2019/20 Carabao Cup resumes in mid-week with the competition’s 4th round, and excitement is already starting to build ahead of some potentially thrilling knock-out football fixtures.
On Wednesday evening, supporters are being treated to two televised all-Premier League duels, where some of the top flight’s biggest names will go head-to-head for a place in December’s quarter finals.
At Anfield, a rampant looking Liverpool team are favourites to eliminate an Arsenal outfit on the cusp of a crisis, while Chelsea will be out to exact some revenge for their 4-0 Old Trafford battering when they renew acquaintances with Man Utd at Stamford Bridge.
Check out selection of player special betting tips for Wednesday’s televised Carabao Cup fixtures below:
Remember – we’re covering all the midweek action in detail with exclusive betting tips for each game on our Carabao Cup predictions page.
Liverpool vs Arsenal
Divock Origi over 0.5 shots on target
Liverpool cult hero Divock Origi is expected to feature for the Reds from the start on Wednesday, and the Belgian striker will hope to make his mark at Anfield against Arsenal.
The 24-year old back-up attacker has largely been used as an impact substitute this season, though in the likely absence of Mohamed Salah, Origi should be handed a rare opportunity to shine from the first whistle this week.
On Wednesday, Origi will come up against a brittle looking Arsenal team that ranks 4th for average shots conceded per game (15.4) in the Premier League this term, and the 25-times capped Belgian international should have enough opportunities in front of goal to hit at least one shot on target.
Lucas Torreira under 48.5 passes
With Granit Xhaka almost certain be absent on Wednesday after the weekend’s controversy, combative Uruguayan Lucas Torreira is expected to be drafted into Arsenal’s midfield for their trip to Anfield.
The 23-year old is an accomplished ball-winner, though the rarely seems to feature highly in the passing stakes for the Gunners.
In his two Premier League starts for Arsenal since the summer, Torreira played just 32 and 9 passes against Tottenham and Man Utd respectively, and we think the diminutive destroyer will be similarly starved of possession against a much stronger looking Liverpool team this week.
Matteo Guendouzi to get booked
Torreira could be joined in midfield by energetic midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, and the promising 20-year old will expect to share a heavy defensive workload with his Uruguayan teammate.
Guendouzi has plenty of bite to add to his technical skills, though the youngster’s aggressive streak often draws unwanted attention from referees.
The former PSG academy graduate has already been booked three times for Arsenal this season, and we think he is a prime candidate to be cautioned again this week while attempting to stem the flow of Liverpool’s attacks.
Looking for more Liverpool vs Arsenal betting tips? Read our detailed match preview to read or expert’s predictions and opinions.
Chelsea vs Manchester United
Callum Hudson-Odoi over 0.5 assists
Creative whiz-kid Callum Hudson-Odoi is on the brink of becoming a first-team regular at Chelsea, and the 18-year old can tighten his grip on a place in Frank Lampard’s starting XI with a good performance against Man Utd this week.
Hudson-Odoi has already claimed four assists in just three starts for the Blues this season, and his average of 2.5 key passes per game puts him in second place at the club behind Spanish star Pedro for that metric.
The precocious talent, who signed a bumper new deal with Chelsea last month, has all the tools at his disposal to be a real handful for Man Utd on Wednesday, and we think Hudson-Odoi is priced generously to add another assist to his tally for the season.
Harry Maguire under 0.5 tackles
Like most modern Premier League centre-halves, Harry Maguire tends to make very few tackles. With most of the traditional ball-winning challenges generally made a little further up in midfield these days, defenders usually rank higher in the clearance, aerial duels and interceptions stats.
Maguire ranks highly at United for all three, though the towering 26-year old has averaged a remarkably low 0.4 tackles per Premier League appearance for the Red Devils since making the switch to Old Trafford.
When Maguire faced Chelsea on the opening weekend of the new season, he made four interceptions and seven clearances against the Blues, however, the England international didn’t make a single tackle.
We’re forecasting a similarly low tackle count for the former Sheffield United and Hull starlet on Wednesday.
Ashley Young to get booked
With Luke Shaw still on the sidelines, veteran utility player Ashley Young has been filling in at left back for Manchester United for the majority of the season.
While Young’s commitment is admirable, the 34-year old has often been found wanting when defending in one-on-one situations against younger, quicker attacking players – a fact that has been reflected in his card statistics since August.
Incredibly, Young was booked four times in just seven Premier League starts since his reintroduction to the team, and we think the United skipper will struggle to cope with the energy and movement of Chelsea’s youthful frontline on Wednesday.
Read our comprehensive match preview for more Chelsea vs Manchester United predictions and betting tips.
