EFL Carabao Cup quarterfinals give some of the EPL’s biggest teams a chance to move a step closer to a trophy

Happy Wednesday! There’s some high-profile midweek action in England, where a handful of the country’s top clubs will face off for a spot in the EFL Cup semifinals. I’m Pardeep Cattry with a primer ahead of the big games.

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All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, Dec. 18
Intercontinental Cup: Real Madrid vs. Pachuca, 12 p.m. beIN Sports
UWCL: Barcelona vs. Manchester City, 12:45 p.m. DAZN
EFL Cup: Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace, 2:45 p.m. Paramount+
EFL Cup: Newcastle vs. Brentford, 2:45 p.m. CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
EFL Cup: Southampton vs. Liverpool, 3 p.m. Paramount+

Thursday, Dec. 19
EFL Cup: Tottenham vs. Manchester United, 3 p.m. Paramount+
UECL: Chelsea vs. Shamrock Rovers, 3 p.m. Paramount+

The Forward Line

Liverpool, Arsenal favored in EFL Cup ties

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The EFL Cup quarterfinals kick off on Wednesday with the oddsmakers’ top picks to win the title, Arsenal and reigning champions Liverpool, taking part in favorable matchups.

Arsenal will host Crystal Palace in what is expected to be a routine outing for the outing regardless of manager Mikel Arteta’s team selection, since he’s opted to rotate throughout his squad so far during the competition. The EFL Cup offers a chance for the Gunners to win their first trophy since the 2019-20 FA Cup, so far the only one Arteta’s won as the manager. The only Arsenal player left that played in that final four-plus years ago was Kieran Tierney, who no longer plays a big part for Arteta’s side despite still being on the books. The experience of winning this title, as Arteta noted in his pre-game comments, could help them lift the big prizes they really seek – the Premier League and the Champions League.

Arteta: “[The EFL Cup] brings belief, trust, positive energy. Touching a cup, beating someone in the semifinal, beating someone in the final, it generates that energy and I think it creates that right path to go and do something else, especially because of the timing and when the competition is played in this country, it gets the momentum going.”

Elsewhere in England, Liverpool aim to do the same when they take on Southampton. The Reds could use this competition as their first chance to win silverware with manager Arne Slot, which could offer a fitting accomplishment after the EFL Cup was the final trophy won by predecessor Jurgen Klopp. Wednesday’s game will likely be another opportunity for Slot to demonstrate his smooth adjustment to life with Liverpool, as well as a moment for a little course correction. Slot’s usually defensively sound side has conceded five goals in their last two games, and though their 3-2 win at Southampton last month demonstrates that anyone can score on the Reds if they have a good finishing day, it is hard to envision that game as a precursor for Wednesday’s.

Southampton are just three days removed from firing manager Russell Martin and might be doomed to a lame-duck period as the club looks for his successor, leaving them uniquely vulnerable against Liverpool, even as a defensively porous side.

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  Midfield Link Play

Tottenham, Man United have points to prove?

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The EFL Cup is saving its most high-profile quarterfinal for last, with Tottenham Hotspur hosting Manchester United on Thursday. Both sides enter the game with a point to prove, but the odds suggest that Spurs are the slight favorites, potentially laying the groundwork for Ange Postecolgou’s side to end a nearly 17-year trophy drought.

There’s one big question facing Spurs, though: Are they actually ready to lift silverware this season? The match comes at an inopportune time as an injury crisis leaves Tottenham down to just 18 available first team players, and important players like Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romeo and Micky van de Ven missing from action. The pressures of winning a long-awaited trophy and snapping a run of form in which Spurs have won just two of their last nine has left Postecoglou to ask his players to dig deep. That includes Timo Werner, who was yanked off at halftime of last week’s 1-1 draw at Rangers in the UEFA Europa League for not living up to standards.

Postecoglou: “I’m asking 18-year-olds to do some massive jobs and you want senior players – and [Werner’s] a senior player, he’s an international and he’s won the Champions League – there’s a level of application and performance you need to rise to to help the team. He didn’t reach that. … We’re in a fight here, collectively we’re in a fight. I’m not going to go around worrying about people’s bruised egos. This football club, we want to achieve things and be successful. We’re down to the bare bones in players. If there’s somebody in the dressing room who’s fit, able to contribute, but who feels he needs something extra in this moment, he’s probably not the right type.”

The advantage that Postecoglou and company might have, though, is that their identity is much more settled than that of the visiting team. Ruben Amorim is barely a month into his tenure as the Manchester United manager, and is clearly still working out what his version of the team looks like. True to form for the club in their post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, Amorim’s adjustment period includes some drama, this time in the form of squad selection. His decision to exclude Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford from Sunday’s Manchester derby win still looms large, especially as it signaled the end of Rashford’s spell at his boyhood club.

Amorim’s squad management, not only for Thursday but also in the future, will be an area of focus as the 39-year-old settles into life at United – and makes for an interesting comparison to their opponent. While Spurs are far from the finished product, especially after a summer in which five of their six signings were teenagers, United have much more work to do with their roster. Even during Erik ten Hag’s tenure, there was room to upgrade in a handful of positions on the pitch but United’s current squad is also not built well for Amorim’s style of play. The manager has no choice but to make do with what he’s got for now but against Postecoglou’s side, who have a well-defined identity even without several top players available, Thursday’s game might be an uphill battle for United.

  Top Stories

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  The Back Line

Best bets

EFL Cup quarterfinals: Newcastle United vs. Brentford, Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.
THE PICK: Over 3.5 goals scored (+110) – Considering Brentford are 11th in the Premier League and Newcastle United are 12th, expect Wednesday’s clash at St James’ Park to be a closely contested one. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will be low scoring, though – both teams like scoring goals, but Brentford especially so. They have scored 32 goals in Premier League play this season while conceding 30 goals, so an entertaining match could be in store.
UEFA Conference League: Chelsea vs. Shamrock Rovers, Thursday, 3 p.m.
THE PICK: Chelsea to win 4-0 (+700) – High-flying Chelsea have coasted through the Conference League so far, winning all five of their games and scoring 21 goals so far.. Expect another lopsided victory at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, where the big question will be how many they will put past Shamrock Rovers, one of the Conference League’s best sides but still a minnow compared to the Blues.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.   

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