Cameron Lissimore Media

This article is going to be taking a deeper dive into the EFL Cup ties to be played this week. As we enter the Quarter Final stage of the competition, the sides remaining are only two wins away from an illustrious cup final at Wembley. The 8 premier league sides that remain will all be looking to reach the big stage, as we analyse the next matches these teams have on the coming Wednesday/Thursday.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace – 18/12 19:30

Both sides will be coming into this game on the back of different weekends in the English top flight. The visitors from South East London are coming into this off the back of victory in the M23 derby against Brighton, whilst the hosts Arsenal were pegged back by Everton and held to a goalless draw at The Emirates. This will be the first time The Gunners have been tested by fellow Premier League opposition after comfortably surpassing Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End in the earlier rounds. However The Eagles have already overcome a tough Aston Villa outfit in the previous round and have shown promise on the road in this competition.

Both sides are also unbeaten in their last four in all competitions, however are yet to face each other in the league. The last time Palace travelled to North London, they were on the receiving end of a 5 star Arsenal performance, falling to a 5-0 defeat. Arteta wants his team to “show teeth” in order to get back into the title race, and with a champions league run on the cards, this competition may not be the forefront of his focus. This is a real chance for Glasner’s side to make their way into the final four, after picking up form of late and being able to go in to a game with the free hit feel about it.

Ismaila Sarr will be looking to build on his fantastic performance against Brighton, scoring two and assisting the other, he has potential to cause Arsenal a problem on the night. However the quality that the North Londoners possess is evident, despite a long list of injuries, and maybe a slight drop in form, the reds have the ability to beat anyone on their day. Yet Crystal Palace will certainly not be pushovers and they are going to have to dig deep to find the result.

My Prediction – Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace

Newcastle vs Brentford – 18/12 19:45

On paper, this looks like on of the tougher fixtures to call out of the quarter finals. Both teams are currently on the same points in the Premier League, separated by just two goal difference! Newcastle have had a mixed bag of results in their last few games. Saturday played host to a rampant victory over Leicester City. And only a week or so ago, they grabbed a crucial point against league leaders and dominant force Liverpool. However between these games was when the two sides in question last faced, ending in a 4-2 to the bees. This head to head has a thing for high scoring affairs, in the last five occasions where these teams have faced, they have accumulated 22 goals averaging at 4.5 goals per fixture. The anomaly of this fixture occurred only 11 days prior, Brentford’s only victory over Newcastle in five outings, however there’s a chance that the midweek trip to the north could pay dividends to their progression in the league cup.

Brentford are like Arsenal and yet to face a premier league opponent in this competition, after beating Colchester United, Leyton Orient and Sheffield Wednesday, whilst Newcastle obtained a stylish 2-0 victory over Chelsea in the previous round. On the other hand the hosts are at home for the third consecutive game, despite the fact they were drawn away to Wimbledon in the third round. The AFC Wimbledon pitch became unplayable and the fixture was reversed to be played in Tyne and Wear which resulted in a 1-0 win for The Magpies. The game certainly has the potential to have goals in it, as the visitors from West London have only failed to score once in a game since August. Neither side have qualified for a European competition meaning this may be the best opportunity to pick up some silverware this season.

Despite Brentford’s abundance of forward quality including players like Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade, they have a tendency to leak goals in and have done in recent meetings between the two clubs, and with the attacking quality that Newcastle also obtain, there’s also making for a high scoring encounter between the two.

My Prediction – Newcastle 3-1 Brentford

Southampton vs Liverpool – 18/12 20:00

Two sides at either end of the table are set to face off at St. Mary’s on Wednesday night. Arne Slot has had a dream start with the league leading Liverpool as they sit at the summit of the Premier League and The UEFA Champions League. However its the polar opposite story for Southampton, who sit rock bottom of the Premiership with only one win all season and a not so grand total of five points. Their one win coming against Everton who they also beat in this competition on penalties at Goodison Park alongside wins in Wales against Cardiff City and beating Stoke on their own patch. However the visitors road to this stage has been slightly tougher facing 2 other Premier League sides West Ham and Brighton. Liverpool also showed signs of potential mishaps in what has been a presiding start for the scousers. Saturday’s draw against Fulham was rather two points dropped and the Andrew Robertson red card enhances this feeling.

Southampton also proved to be a test for Slot’s men, when they met in the league just shy of a month ago, Southampton took a 2-1 lead and the Reds relied on talisman Mo Salah to net a brace and take the three points back to Merseyside. A real test for the side sitting top of the Premier League. Although they sit at the wrong end of the table, The saints have shown they can pose problems to Liverpool, and will certainly be in the mood as they search for their first win since the start of November. Both sides could be looking elsewhere at bigger dilemmas in their season, with the hosts trying to escape top flight relegation, while the UCL and Premier League will be a big player in Arne Slot’s approach to this game.

It seems so far this season, that no matter the team Slot selects, Liverpool always have a large amount of quality in their ranks and have the ability to beat any team on their day. Mohamed Salah already has 22 goal involvements to his name and is a real threat to Southampton. As mentioned he netted two second half goals against the Saints last time out. Russell Martin will need his key players to step up to record his sides first win over Liverpool with spectators since 2017. Although the visitors have shown they have what it takes to do the job and leave the south coast with a ticket to the semi-finals.

My Prediction – Southampton 0-3 Liverpool

Tottenham vs Manchester United – 19/12 20:00

Postecoglou will be searching to turn the tides on what has been a very toxic environment in North London of late. Supporters are certainly beginning to lose faith in the ex Celtic manager after being winless since beating Man City at The Etihad in stylish fashion, besides a 5-0 thumping over Southampton at the weekend. However the manager situation is very different at Manchester United, the appointment of Ruben Amorim from Sporting has sparked belief for the supporters. Despite a mix of results, Amorim has restored hope for he Man United faithful and has picked up six out of six possible points with the Portuguese mastermind at the helm.

Amorim will take charge of his first ever EFL Cup fixture, as the side have beaten Barnsley and Leicester at Old Trafford to reach the Quarter final stage. However it was two much tighter games that allowed Spurs to get to this point of the competition beating the Sky Blue sides Coventry and Man City 2-1 respectively to reach this point. Back in September, The Yids made the trip up to Old Trafford and beat them by three goals to nil and will be hoping the same can happen again on their own patch. United’s first match on the road in this competition will prove to be the toughest they have had yet.

Tottenham have the ability to score from all over the pitch, so far in their two ties they have scored 4 goals, all from different players in different positions. However Manchester United’s winger Alejandro Garnacho has the most goal involvements in just the two games he has played with three goals and three assists. However the Argentinian is yet to really hit form under Amorim with only the one goal so far under his reign. A lot has changed since the two sides faced last in September, and with both sides amount of quality, this may be one of the ties of the round.

My Prediction – Tottenham 1-1 (P) Manchester United

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