Carling Cup: Who Will Win It Now?

Last night saw a remarkable match at Anfield with the delayed quarter-final tie between Liverpool and Arsenal being decided. Even though both sides played virtually their "second string" teams, no-one could have forecasted the scoreline of 3-6!

Liverpool fans will be downcast and possibly bemused that their manager, Rafael Benitez, possibly threw away the team's last realistic hope of silverware for the season. With Barcelona to come in the Champions League, not too much is expected in that tournament – but who can tell with the Reds?

Whatever the case, Liverpool are no longer in contention in the Carling Cup. Arsenal march on to the semi-finals to face arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a two-legged semi-final. The North London police will be on overtime for sure, and tensions are likely to be running high both on and off the field for this one.

Arsene Wenger will persevere with his young stars who shone so brightly at Anfield while Spurs will likely field a team closer to their usual Premiership line-up. Those games are not played until the last week of January.

The first leg of the other semi-final is being played tonight. This is a fascinating encounter between League 2 team Wycombe Wanderers and Premiership champions Chelsea. It is asking a lot of Wycombe to attempt to beat Chelsea in one match. To do it over two is asking the impossible but congratulations to the Chairboys for getting this far. They did it in the FA Cup a few years ago before bowing out to a late goal against Liverpool. How will they fare tonight?

The game is at the tiny ground of Adams Park and the atmosphere will surely make it one of those special nights under the lights for the home crowd. Chelsea have some team problems at present but this is all relative. They should still have far too much for Wycombe. Nonetheless, Wanderers have potential finishers in the likes of Mooney, Easter and Betsy. It would not be a total surprise, given Chelsea's current defensive woes, if Wycombe were to at least score a goal. Jose Mourinho has said that he expects his team to win tonight but even if "something goes wrong", there is the second leg.

The bookmakers have marked Chelsea down at around 1/5 to win the first leg but some are more "generous" with 1/4 and even 2/7 (Coral). That may just be value for those who like to beat their building society rates of return! A better bet may be the 8/11 on offer with Bet365 for the -1 handicap on Chelsea. A win by two goals will suffice. A similar price is on offer with most bookmakers for Chelsea to be leading at both half time and full time. However, bear in mind that Chelsea's main striker Didier Drogba is not playing tonight.

In the Carling Cup win market, Chelsea are also odds-on at around 4/6. This makes the odds on Arsenal at 3/1 at Bet365 look excellent. Yes, they have to beat Spurs over two legs first to even reach the final but given the strength in depth being exhibited by the Gunners, especially after the Liverpool rout, this looks a likely outcome. Tottenham are around 4/1 for the Cup although Skybet go 5/1. That doesn't seem all that attractive given they have to deal with both Arsenal and Chelsea before securing the trophy.

For the miracle seekers, Wycombe are available at a best 80/1, again at Bet365.

Ed note: For Carling Cup bets, get your best value at Bet365

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