Aldershot Town were the only side to upset the odds last night. Will we see any giantkillings in tonight’s assortment of Carling Cup round three matches?
The Hampshire club’s 2-1 win against Rochdale propels them into the League Cup fourth round for the first time in their history, writes William Geldart.
The Sky Sports cameras will be taking up their positions at Brighton and Hove Albion’s new Amex Stadium this evening, as the Sussex club aim to knock out seven-time winners Liverpool.
Reds manager Kenny Dalglish is not going to be taking this game lightly, and he is likely to name a strong line-up against a rampant Brighton side flying high in the Championship.
The Scot scored for Liverpool during the Merseysiders’ last League Cup encounter with Albion, a 4-0 victory in a third round tie in 1985.
Gus Poyet’s Brighton team have not been beaten in a competitive game at their new ground and they will be eager to add the scalp of Liverpool to their impressive recent record.
Sven Goran-Eriksson’s Leicester City side inflicted Brighton’s first defeat of the season at the weekend and the Swede will be anxious to further enhance his standing with Foxes supporters with a victory at Cardiff City tonight.
Malky Mackay has made an impressive start to his managerial career in charge of the Bluebirds, losing just once this season to-you guessed it-Brighton.
Veteran midfielder Stephen McPhail could return to action after battling against stage one lymphoma and suffering from the side effects of Sjorgen’s Syndrome.
Eriksson is sweating on the fitness of full-back Michael Ball, however, midfielder Matt Oakley is definitely ruled out with a back injury.
Both sides have scored eight times in this season’s completion with Leicester netting in their last 22 League Cup games.
A west London derby takes place at Stamford Bridge this evening, with Chelsea facing rivals Fulham.
The tie is likely to feature a predominantly second-string XI from both sides but the intensity should not be diminished as youth and fringe players fight to get noticed by their respective managers.
In contrast to fellow Portuguese Jose Mourinho, current Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas isn’t as obsessed with winning the Carling Cup as Mourinho was in his first season at the club.
Youngsters Romelu Lukaku, Oriol Romeu and Josh McEachran are tipped to start in tonight’s encounter, with the full backing of club owner Roman Abramovich.
Villas-Boas told the London Evening Standard: “We have a different approach to be fair. I don’t want to do any comparisons or judge what Jose choice’s was in that situation. We also want to win as many competitions as possible but we have taken this approach to the Carling Cup to promote the youngsters and that is what we’re going to do.”
Martin Jol will probably rest key players, including Danny Murphy and Brede Hangeland, with Fulham upbeat following their comeback from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 it Manchester City on Sunday.
The Cottagers would relish any victory against their illustrious rivals, and they will want to improve upon their dismal record against the Blues. Fulham have only won eleven of their previous 75 games against Chelsea, with their adversaries tasting victory on 42 occasions.
Everton’s positive start to the season has helped move the emphasis away from their financial problems, and David Moyes’ Toffees have a decent chance of continuing their upward momentum.
West Bromwich Albion, bottom of the Premier League after four defeats in five matches, are the visitors to Goodison Park, hoping for a result that might help turn their season around.
Unsettled striker Louis Saha could feature for Everton, following his online show of displeasure at being left out of the team that defeated Wigan Athletic 3-1 on Saturday.
Zoltan Gera and Chris Brunt are major doubts for Albion, with assistant boss Michael Appleton issuing a rallying call to the team’s fringe players to stake their claim for a first-team place for the upcoming league game against Fulham.
He told the club’s official website: “Even if they don’t play on Saturday, it’s an opportunity for them to play well tonight and say to the head coach, myself, Keith and Deano ‘I might not be in your side this Saturday but I’m going to show you, as and when, I’m ready to play.”
The Baggies might take some confidence from the fact that in the only League Cup meeting between these two sides; they won a third round match 2-1 in 1980.
Any team Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini puts out tonight against Birmingham City at the Etihad Stadium is liable to still be full of exciting talent.
Owen Hargreaves is expected to make his first appearance for the club, while Stefan Savic and Costel Pantilimon are set to make their full debuts.
Chris Hughton will probably rest key players tonight, as Birmingham struggle with fixture congestion due to their Championship and Europa League commitments. Striker Adam Rooney is likely to deputise for Marlon King.
The holders have suffered a massive nosedive in form since winning the competition in February. Relegation from the Premier League soon followed and the Blues face a stiff test against Mancini’s team, one that is unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitions.
And finally, upwardly mobile Southampton welcome Preston North End to St. Mary’s tonight, to contest the first ever League Cup tie between these two sides.
The Saints occupy top spot in the Championship table after their best start to a season for 103 years, but Nigel Adkins’ side meet a Preston team also in fine form, having won their last six matches.
Southampton defender Dan Harding will be absent because of a knee injury whereas Danny Fox is cup-tied, opening the door for Ryan Dickson to take his place at left-back.
Preston manager Phil Brown could name Keammar Daley, Danny Mayor, Adam Barton, Daniel Devine and Steven Smith in his squad.
Both clubs have a relatively lacklustre recent history in the League Cup. Southampton haven’t reached the fourth round for seven years while Preston have only made the last 16 once in the past three decades.
Join us again tomorrow for a look back at this week’s Carling Cup action, plus analysis and reaction to all of the top stories emerging from the third round.
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