Only eight teams remain in the EFL Cup and this is the perfect time to pick an outright winner
Club football has returned to England with a bang. With the Qatar World Cup coming to an end, fans turned their attention back to domestic action this week in the form of the Carabao Cup fourth round. Man City edged past rivals Liverpool in a spectacular 3-2 battle, Nottingham Forest put four past Championship side Blackburn Rovers and League One underdogs Charlton Athletic shocked Brighton & Hove Albion with a win on penalties to become the only non-EPL team to make it to the quarter finals.
Now there are only eight left to contest the crown, it is the perfect time to think about predicting an outright winner. All it takes is three wins from here to lift the trophy. Be sure to check out OddsChecker to see the odds for who will win the 2022/23 Carabao Cup.
Here are the four favourites to win the Carabao Cup as things stand:
Manchester City (4/5 Favourites)
While Liverpool broke up Pep Guardiola's run of four successive EFL Cup triumphs last season, the reigning Premier League champions can still boast having won a whopping six of the last nine editions of the competition.
There are various reasons for this. While City are favourites for almost every competition they enter, by virtue of the outstanding talent in their ranks, they also tend to thrive in this tournament in particular, due to a mixture of their phenomenal squad depth and their coach's willingness to play some of their better players in these games. Other coaches tend to put out disastrously weakened teams and that often sees them fall out of the competition early.
Guardiola, on the other hand, makes use of his fantastic squad by fielding starting X1s made up of a delicate mixture of promising young talent and first team regulars, and this approach has yielded spectacular results in recent seasons.
Man City are always a safe bet in the EFL Cup, or in any competition they enter, but they do not offer great value for money at these odds.
Manchester United (3/1)
City rivals Manchester United are a lot more attractive as 3/1 second favourites. Erik ten Hag has delivered a marked improvement in commitment and execution since taking over at Old Trafford, and while the Carabao Cup will likely not be at the top of his list of priorities, it could represent a chance to get some early silverware on the board, get the fans on side and bring some joy and harmony to a group which has often lacked it in recent seasons.
The Carabao Cup can often prove a good way to get a positive feeling going around the camp, as it is the first trophy on offer of the season. It can act as a launching pad for the rest of the campaign. Manchester United undoubtedly have quality in their squad, and can quite easily win three games and win this tournament. Furthermore, the fact that they have drawn major underdogs Charlton Athletic at home in the quarter finals will only boost their confidence - you could say they have one foot in the semi finals already.
Newcastle United (13/2)
Eddie Howe has continued his fine start to life as Newcastle United manager by leading them to 3rd place in the Premier League this season heading into the Christmas break. He will be confident that he can guide The Magpies to their first domestic cup success since they won the FA Cup in 1955.
Following the club's takeover by PIF (the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia), expectations are high on Tyneside and fans will hope the team can push to win a first piece of silverware of the new era. It is titles like the League Cup which are often the first to come to an emerging football powerhouse, as was the case with Manchester City when their ascent under Sheikh Mansour began.
Leicester City (10/1)
The Foxes offer up a great value pick for the Carabao Cup this season. Despite a rough start to their Premier League campaign, four wins in five have seen them jump up to mid table and they are now looking upwards rather than downwards.
Brendan Rodgers's side continued that good form upon returning from the World Cup break by comfortably beating League One MK Dons 3-0 away from home. They now stand just three wins away from another domestic trophy, having won both the Premier League and FA Cup in the last six years, which for a club of their size is nothing short of phenomenal.
Leicester could make it a clean sweep of domestic trophies by winning the EFL Cup this season. They have proven themselves to be an excellent cup side, complimenting their stunning FA Cup triumph by going far in both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa Conference League within the last decade.
They have what it takes to win cup games. They have a tactically sound coach and a very talented squad. At 10/1, Leicester could be an excellent dark horse shout to win the EFL Cup this season.
Now football fans' attention turns back to the big one as the Premier League returns. Once again, festive football will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Check out our guide on how to watch the Premier League on Amazon to see how you can follow your favourite club this Boxing Day.
