Carabao Cup: United and Chelsea seek redemption in tricky ties

The 4th round of the Carabao Cup is underway and top sides need to come correct to advance to the quarter-finals. (Photo credit: GOAL)

The Carabao Cup is a golden opportunity for clubs to win a piece of silverware without having to play too many games, and with a bit of luck, favorable fixtures can take you all the way.

Wednesday fixtures in the Carabao Cup offer us delicious encounters with Premier League sides going head-to-head to fight for a quarter-final ticket. The peak of the bunch must be the game at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Newcastle.

It’s a repeat of the 2023 finals, where United pipped the Magpies to the trophy in what was Erik Ten Hag’s first attempt at Wembley. This fixture is coming off United’s embarrassing loss at home to Manchester City on Sunday, and on Wednesday, they will have another opportunity to honor Sir Bobby Charlton.

Elsewhere on the night, Arsenal will travel across town to entertain West Ham United. The Hammers lost at home to Everton on Sunday in the league, and that adds to the midweek loss in the Europa League. Arsenal’s visit is one that would stretch them, but will they go full strength?

The Gunners need something tangible this season to compensate for their hard work. It will be unacceptable to finish the season without silverware, and taking the battle to the Hammers is one way to prove they understand the assignment.

Liverpool will be away from Bournemouth. Andoni Iraola got a breather over the weekend with a comeback win over Burnley, but he will have it all to do against Liverpool. The Kops are flying at the moment, and it will take more than luck to stop them, regardless of how many rotations Jurgen Klopp pulls up.

Chelsea can’t buy a win right now, but they have to find creative ways to ensure they don’t entertain another upset when Blackburn visits Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. It’s not going well for Mauricio Pochettino after yet another loss to Brentford over the weekend, but a loss to the Championship side could be damning.

Chelsea isn’t in Europe; this is one way to get the boys as sharp as possible ahead of the weekend fixture away at Tottenham. They can’t afford to lose this one, and should they fail to advance, the place of the Argentine coach could be under scrutiny.