Snow may be covering England’s capital but it sounds as though the Carling Cup matches will still be played tonight. This tournament may play a distant second fiddle to England’s FA Cup, but Tuesday’s teams all have reason to desperately seek a place in the semi-finals.
Carling Cup Quarter-Finals: Arsenal Host Wigan While Manchester United Travel To West Ham
Wigan aren’t having the best season, having collected 14 points (although with just two wins, that’s an astonishing number of draws) and boasting the Premier League’s worst goal difference, at -15. While the Latics are newcomers to the league, no club ever wants to go down. Taking some silverware with them would help ease the pain.
Meanwhile, with each day that passes it becomes more and more evident that Arsène Wenger is desperate for a trophy. Although it took Arsenal until injury time to find an equalizer against Tottenham in their first Carling Cup tie, added extra time brought a 4-1 win for the Gunners. Arsenal then sent off Newcastle with a 4-0 win, fielding a barely weakened side at St. James Park. Wigan must be shaking in their boots, wondering just how many goals tonight's match at the Emirates will bring.
Another tie, another game that pits a relegation zone team against a club intent on the Premier League title. Here we have West Ham, sitting bottom of the table with just 12 points, three of those collected in their 3-1 victory over Wigan at the weekend. The Irons barely escaped relegation last season and might not make it out of the hot zone this season, so again, silverware would be a great consolation prize.
Yet Manchester United certainly won't want to give up the cup, as it's been sitting in their trophy case for the past two seasons. The Red Devils have fielded weakened sides for their first two matches, but it didn't take much for them to out muscle Championship side Scunthorpe United 5-2. Manchester United had a bit more trouble with Wolverhampton, requiring the services of Javier Hernández to score a 90th minute winner. It may take a miracle for West Ham to make it to the semi-finals. Or perhaps United is out of gas after scoring seven goals against Blackburn at the weekend? Irons fans can hope.
See More:
