After Quarterfinal Round, Manchester City -150 Favorites to Win EFL Carabao Cup
- Man City cruised past Oxford United on Wednesday by a score of 3-1 to secure their spot in the last four of the Carabao Cup
- They will now be set for a two-leg semifinal against cross-town rivals, Manchester United
- City are currently the clear favorites to win it all at -150
With Liverpool in Qatar participating in the FIFA Club World Cup, the Reds put forward their U23’s on Tuesday against Aston Villa, which resulted in a 5-0 defeat and their elimination from the Carabao Cup. With that in mind, Manchester City is now the heavy favorites to lift their second consecutive trophy in this tournament with the current Premier League leaders out of the competition.
Just four teams remain, with City, Man United, Aston Villa, and Leicester City all looking to battle it out. The Red Devils and Pep Guardiola’s side will play the first leg on January 7th, with the second taking place on the 28th of January. Aston Villa and the red-hot Leicester City Foxes will also play their two respective legs on the same dates.
EFL Carabao Cup Odds
| Team | Odds to Win Carabao Cup |
|---|---|
| Manchester City | -150 |
| Leicester City | +300 |
| Manchester United | +450 |
| Aston Villa | +1400 |
Odds taken Dec 19
Leicester City currently has the second-best odds to win the Carabao Cup at +300 after their PK victory over Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday. Man United then come in at third with +450 odds following their 3-0 win at Old Trafford against Colchester United yesterday. Aston Villa is frankly lucky to be in this competition still, but with Liverpool putting out two different squads for their respective competitions this week, the Lions remain in contention for the cup with +1400 odds.
Man City Current Favorites
City convincingly beat third-tier side Oxford United on Wednesday, setting up a huge Manchester Derby in January. Even though Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side beat City in early December, the current Premier League title holders should be able to handle the Red Devils across two legs.
They’re playing better football as of late and look to be finding their form. They have won their last three fixtures heading into this weekend’s big-time clash with Leicester City, a match that will be detrimental to who secures the second spot for the time being in England’s top flight.
Leicester Could Give City a Run for Their Money
As mentioned above, Brendan Rodgers’ side will face Man City this Saturday in the Premier League. However, there’s a very high chance these two teams could be meeting once again in the final of the Carabao Cup on March 1st of next year. This weekend’s match between City and the Foxes profiles to be a very entertaining one, with lots on the line as they both attempt to chase league leaders Liverpool.
Leicester has been in marvelous form this term and if they can earn a positive result this weekend against Guardiola’s side, their odds in the Carabao Cup are definitely going to change for the better.
City is a Safe Bet Right Now
If Man City can continue to play good football, then they should definitely be the favorites to win the Carabao Cup once again. But if Leicester can prove that they can compete with them this weekend, it could make for a very entertaining final in March.
City should definitely breeze past Man United across two legs, while Leicester should have no problem beating Aston Villa. That will result in a Man City-Leicester City Carabao Cup Final. But for the time being, City should definitely be the favorites to win it all based on their current form.
Pick: Man City (-150)
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
