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#3 Chelsea and Liverpool to register routine wins
The Carabao Cup round three will pit Chelsea and Liverpool against Aston Villa and Norwich City, respectively. Both Premier League giants picked up comfortable wins in their last league outings, registering identical 3-0 scorelines.
Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace was thoroughly convincing, as the Reds’ regular stars fired on all cylinders. The Merseyside giants are likely to rest their first-choice XI in the Carabao Cup tie against Norwich, which should encourage the hosts to be more offensive. Liverpool's last meeting with Norwich City in the Premier League ended 3-0 in favor of Jurgen Klopp's side in August.
Chelsea have also played their upcoming Carabao Cup rivals Aston Villa in the Premier League this season. On matchday four, the Blues registered a convincing 3-0 win over Villa and will look to carry their form over to the EFL Cup.
Since both Chelsea and Liverpool are likely to give their reserve-bench players a shot, their fixtures could be a lot less one-sided. Still, despite the probability of a couple of scares, we expect Chelsea and Liverpool to progress to the fourth round without much difficulty.
#2 Second-string Manchester United side to struggle against West Ham United
Buoyed by goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Jesse Lingard, Manchester United secured a hard-fought 2-1 win at West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday. Despite being considerably stronger on paper, United failed to assert their superiority, needing David de Gea to save a 95th-minute penalty to get maximum points.
United will play West Ham at Old Trafford in their upcoming Carabao Cup tie, but could find it difficult to do the double over them. Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and De Gea could be rested for the Cup game, while West Ham’s Michail Antonio could return from suspension.
West Ham will be hungry to set the record straight, and having Antonio, who has scored four goals in four Premier League matches this season, will boost their morale. A mouthwatering encounter awaits.
#1 Carabao Cup champions Manchester City to return to winning ways
Defending champions Manchester City have not had the best of starts to their domestic campaign. They have already dropped five points in the Premier League and are having a hard time finding the winning formula. Yes, they recorded two consecutive 5-0 wins over Norwich City and Arsenal, but their goalless draw with Southampton was uncharacteristic, to say the least.
In their Carabao Cup tie against League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers, City are likely to give their youngsters a chance, which should make proceedings exciting. Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Luke Mbete are set to feature, giving City fans a glimpse of their future.
The Citizens have one of the most promising academies and the deepest bench in England, which should help them brush Wycombe aside on Tuesday.
