With the FA Cup third round weekend now out of the way, attention shifts to another domestic cup competition, as the final eight teams in the EFL Cup battle it out.
Seven Premier League teams remain in the competition, with League One’s Charlton Athletic representing the English Football League.
You can enjoy all the action with Bet9ja, and here, we outline all the relevant form, analysis, odds and tips for all four quarter-final ties.
Southampton vs Manchester City
St. Mary’s Stadium
Wednesday 11th January, 21:00
Teams from opposite ends of the table meet on Wednesday, and if the home side come out on top, it could be one of the biggest surprises in the competition this season.
Southampton’s form in the cups has been the only respite in what has been a dismal season. They currently sit bottom of the Premier League table, having lost all of their last six games in the competition. Manager Nathan Jones has been in charge for the last four of those, and in their last league game at home to Nottingham Forest, they failed to register an attempt on target, prompting a backlash from fans in the stadium.
Some of those fans may have been encouraged by Saturday’s 1-2 win at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup though, where Jones made five changes to the starting line-up from the Forest game. James Ward-Prowse and Adam Armstrong both scored after the Saints fell behind to give Jones just his second win as manager, with the only other one coming against Lincoln City in the last round of the Carabao Cup.
Coming out on top against Manchester City will be a different matter entirely though. The visitors won this trophy in five of the last seven seasons prior to this one, and four of those successes came in consecutive years under current manager Pep Guardiola. This is a competition the coach takes very seriously, and his team come into this game having thrashed Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Recent form suggests City should come out on top, having won eight of their last ten matches, although the two games they didn’t win showed they have been prone to slipping up in unexpected circumstances recently. They lost 1-2 at home to Brentford just before the World Cup and drew 1-1 at home to Everton on New Year’s Eve.
But consecutive wins over Chelsea have set the champions of England on the right path, and they were able to progress comfortably in the FA Cup without having to bring on the likes of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan or John Stones.
That means we can expect to see a reasonably strong City team, albeit with an important league game at Manchester United coming up on Saturday. Should they produce a similar performance to the one at the weekend, it may make odds of 2.42 for a City win with a handicap of -2 a reasonable bet with Bet9ja. Meanwhile, Haaland has scored an incredible 27 goals so far this season, and he is 3.40 to be first goalscorer.
Odds (at time of writing, 90 minutes only): Southampton win: 11.25, Draw: 6.25, Man City win: 1.25
Newcastle vs Leicester
St. James’ Park
Tuesday 10th January, 21:00
These two teams meet for the second time in the space of a month, and if there was any chance of the hosts being complacent, that will have disappeared after the weekend.
Newcastle have only lost two games all season, but the second of those came in a shock 2-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup on Saturday. This followed a run of six consecutive clean sheets, although manager Eddie Howe made eight changes to the team that drew 0-0 at Arsenal in their previous match.
While the FA Cup is now out of the picture, the Carabao Cup gives Newcastle the chance to finally end a trophy drought that dates all the way back to 1969. Should they progress on Tuesday, they will play in their first semi-final since they reached the last four of the FA Cup in 2005.
That opportunity gives Howe a selection headache ahead of another important league game at home to Fulham on Saturday, but this could be the perfect time to bring Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin back into the fold after both players have been suffering from illness.
Leicester avoided the same fate as Newcastle in the FA Cup, although they were far from convincing in their 0-1 success at League Two club Gillingham. Brendan Rodgers’ team desperately needed to stop the rot after losing all three Premier League games since the league’s resumption in December.
The Foxes have not faced a Premier League team in their run to the quarter-finals, but Rodgers selected a reasonably strong team for the 0-3 win at MK Dons in the last round.
As mentioned, these two teams have met recently, as Newcastle ran out convincing 0-3 winners at Leicester on Boxing Day, which was their third victory in the last four meetings between the teams.
With Saturday’s defeat likely to provoke some kind of reaction from the Magpies, they are favourites to win this one, and given their recent defensive record, we would be looking at Newcastle to win and to keep a clean sheet at 2.64 with Bet9ja.
Odds (at time of writing, 90 minutes only): Newcastle win: 1.57, Draw: 4.10, Leicester win: 5.80
Manchester United vs Charlton
Old Trafford
Tuesday 10th January, 21:00
Nothing less than a win will be expected for United, who have won all of their last seven games and have also won all of their last seven home games. Manager Erik ten Hag may make changes from the team that beat Everton 3-1 at home in the FA Cup on Friday, and that may be the only thing to give Charlton hope. The Addicks are 12th in League One, but should not be underestimated, as they have already beaten a Premier League club in this competition, knocking out Brighton on penalties in the last round.
While the hosts are strong favourites, you could see value in Manchester United to win and both teams to score at 2.53 when taking into account ten Hag will likely rest a few first-choice starters before the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Odds (at time of writing, 90 minutes only): Man United win: 1.13, Draw: 9.30, Charlton win: 17.00
Nottingham Forest vs Wolves
The City Ground
Wednesday 11th January, 20:45
This competition provides a welcome break for both teams in the midst of a relegation battle, and Forest come into this game unbeaten in their last six home matches, although they were thrashed 4-1 at Championship club Blackpool in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Julen Lopetegui has made a reasonably strong start as Wolves manager, winning one, losing one and drawing two, with the last of those being an impressive 2-2 stalemate at Liverpool in the FA Cup with several first-choice players left on the bench.
Recent form points towards the possibility of a draw and the tie being decided by penalties, and Bet9ja offers odds of 3.20 for the stalemate.
Odds (at time of writing, 90 minutes only): Nottingham Forest win: 2.63, Draw: 3.20, Wolves win: 2.78
