Carabao Cup predictions: Round 4
We’ve arrived at the fourth round stage of the Carabao Cup which means just 16 teams remain in the competition.
While it feels like the competition has barely begun, teams are already beginning to think about a possible trip to Wembley. The exit of Manchester City in the third round has only added to the potential excitement, although four of the supposed ‚Big Six‘ did progress into the fourth round.
There are eight fixtures to enjoy over the next two days, including four all-Premier League affairs. Here are 90min’s predictions for the Carabao Cup fourth round.
Tuesday 31 October
It isn’t exactly the most inspiring pair of Tuesday fixtures, as four of the five lowest-ranked teams (by current league position) go head-to-head.
League Two Mansfield Town will fancy their chances of pulling off a minor upset on home soil as they take on League One Port Vale who are desperately out of sorts.
Exeter City, who also ply their trade in the third tier, take on Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough attempting to reach the quarter-finals of this competition for the first time ever. The last time Exeter reached the fourth round was 1989. Boro, though, are a tough test.
Despite enduring a wretched start to the season, Carrick’s men have climbed up to tenth in the Championship after winning five on the bounce before they were beaten by Stoke at the weekend.
|
Kick-off Time (BST) |
Fixture |
Prediction |
|---|---|---|
|
19:45 |
Mansfield Town vs Port Vale |
2-1 |
|
19:45 |
Exeter City vs Middlesbrough |
0-2 |
Wednesday 1 November
The more enticing bunch of fixtures arrive on Wednesday with six cup ties taking place, two of which will be televised in the UK.
The first, West Ham vs Arsenal, sees Declan Rice potentially line up against his former club, while the other, Manchester United vs Newcastle, sees last season’s finalists do battle once more. The Magpies were beaten by United in February’s final, but they did enact some revenge on the Red Devils by defeating them in the Premier League before the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Both sides are having to mitigate manic schedules, although Newcastle have particularly tricky fixtures upcoming which could play a role in the outcome of Wednesday’s game.
|
Kick-off Time (BST) |
Fixture |
Prediction |
|---|---|---|
|
19:30 |
West Ham vs Arsenal |
1-2 |
|
19:45 |
Chelsea vs Blackburn |
2-0 |
|
19:45 |
Bournemouth vs Liverpool |
1-3 |
|
19:45 |
Everton vs Burnley |
2-0 |
|
19:45 |
Ipswich Town vs Fulham |
2-1 |
|
20:15 |
Manchester United vs Newcastle |
1-0 |
Chelsea will be looking to avoid an upset when they host Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have a wretched recent record on home soil, but they’ve progressed into the fourth round by beating AFC Wimbledon and Brighton in west London.
Liverpool are also in action as they travel to Bournemouth. The Reds won this competition two seasons ago, and they’ll be fancied to win on the south coast despite the Cherries picking up their first Premier League win of the season at the weekend.
Liverpool’s neighbours Everton take on Burnley at Goodison Park having also secured a huge league win on Sunday. The Toffees downed West Ham in east London. Burnley, meanwhile, are in all sorts of trouble after losing at Bournemouth. Both sides could do with a cup run to lift spirits.
Finally, one of the most intriguing fixtures of the round sees Kieran McKenna’s high-flying Ipswich Town host Fulham. Ipswich sit only behind Championship record-breakers Leicester in the table, and they set up this tie by beating Wolves in round three. They’ll be confident of scoring another upset against a Fulham side that have won just one of their last five.