Our football pundit previews the first legs of the EFL Cup semifinals which kick off on Tuesday 9 January 2017.
The 1st leg semi-finals of the Carabao Cup sees Championship side Manchester City host Bristol City on Tuesday, while London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal will meet again, this time at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Tuesday 9 January
Bristol City, from English football’s second-tier, really fought hard to get this far. After thrashing League One side Plymouth Argyle 5-0 at Ashton Gate Stadium, they came up against Premier League opposition, beating Watford 3-2 at Vicarage Road, before kicking out Stoke City (2-0), Crystal Palace (4-1) and Manchester United (2-1) in front of their fans.
City haven’t shown their spark in the League Cup this season and it’s fair to say they’ve had a bit of luck. After a brace from Leroy Sane helped them see off West Brom at the Hawthorns, City won back-to-back penalty shoot-outs against Wolves and Leicester. Guardiola will demand better from his players and will want to take a good advantage when they travel to Ashton Gate. Take the runaway Premier League leaders on the Half-time/Full-time Win at 5/10.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six home meetings against the Gunners, winning five times. In those games, they scored 15 goals while conceding just twice. Conte’s side have played all three of their League Cup matches at home, hammering Nottingham Forest 5-1 before beating Everton and Bournemouth, both by 2-1 scorelines. This will be Arsenal’s first away match in the Carabao Cup. Wenger’s side defeated Doncaster Rovers 1-0, Norwich City 2-1 in extra-time and West Ham 1-0. It should be a tight game, but Chelsea are tipped to win the first leg.
