Midweek Football Picks- Capital One Cup Semi Final Second Leg 2014 (January 21-22)

This is a quiet week in England with a few lower League games to be played, but we also will see the first domestic Cup Final of the season set in stone as the second leg of the Capital One Cup Semi Finals are concluded on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It would be more than a little surprise if Manchester City are not one of the contestants taking part at Wembley Stadium on March 2nd, which also means the Manchester derby that had been set for that weekend is going to be moved later in the season.

The other Finalist is less clear, although Manchester United will be the favourites to overturn their 2-1 deficit against Sunderland from the first leg two weeks ago. 2014 hasn't been a good year for United so far, but they can give their fans something to look forward to in six weeks time, although I know a fair few fans that may approach that match with a little trepidation if it is indeed the Manchester derby in the League Cup Final.


West Ham United v Manchester City Pick: There is a lot of uncertainty about this game and I would definitely be keeping an eye out on the team news ahead of the game. The expectation is that Manchester City are going to be making a lot of changes to their side with an FA Cup Fourth Round match this weekend and a visit to Tottenham Hotspur next week in the Premier League.

However, there is a little less certainty regarding Sam Allardyce and what he will do with his team- will he rest players entirely as he did against Nottingham Forest, or play a strong team to build some confidence ahead of big Premier League games to come.

I am of the belief that it will be more like the latter as West Ham United have a week off before they play again and Allardyce can ill-afford another loss at Upton Park where the locals are getting restless.

With that in mind, I do think West Ham can make this more competitive against a Manchester City team that won't have the full motivation with such a commanding lead from the first leg. City can score a lot of goals so that has to be taken into consideration, but a changed side struggled against Blackburn Rovers in their game at Ewood Park and backing West Ham with a 1.5 goal head start could be the way to go about this game.


Manchester United v Sunderland Pick: As much as some in the media were highly critical of the Manchester United loss at Chelsea and how much of a 'gap' was between the sides, I tend to not subscribe to that view. There was no way that Chelsea were two goals better on the day and I think the defensive mistakes made by United were the biggest issue and they had looked the better team for large portions of the first half.

However, there is no doubt that Manchester United are missing Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie when it comes to scoring goals and the lack of bodies in the box when players had the ball in decent positions in the final third is a real issue that needs to be resolved.

They will have to be better in this game as they take on Sunderland who have something to hang on to from the first minute of the game, but Gus Poyet is right to be worried if they continue defending and playing as they did in the Southampton game, especially early on.

A start like that would give Manchester United all the momentum in this one, but you also have to respect the heart and determination Sunderland showed to get back into the game against Southampton which also extends their run to 1 loss in 10 games. Sunderland have to defend well early and look to promote the tension that has been evident in recent games at Old Trafford but conceding early could really get the home team going.

It is a tough game to call with the way Manchester United have played at times, but a similar level of performance to the one they had in the second half against Swansea and in the first half on Sunday, barring the silly errors, and I think David Moyes will be leading the team back out at Wembley Stadium for the second time this season. It could be tense at times, but I believe United will come through with the two goal win to go through to the Final within regulation time.

MY PICKS: West Ham United + 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.80 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Manchester United - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 2.00 Pinnacle (1 Unit)

January Update: 12-16, - 1.08 Units (46 Units Staked, - 2.35% Yield)

December Final: 19-16-2, + 13.34 Units (66 Units Staked, + 20.21% Yield)
November Final: 17-19-1, + 0.50 Units (56 Units Staked, + 0.09% Yield)
October Final: 20-16-1, + 12.94 Units (51 Units Staked, + 25.37% Yield)
September Final: 13-12, + 1.24 Units (39 Units Staked, + 3.18% Yield)
August Final: 13-26, - 12.13 Units (54 Units Staked, - 22.46% Yield)

Season 2013/14: 82-79-3, + 15.89 Units (266 Units Staked, + 5.97% Yield)
Season 2012/13: + 4.42 Units (415 Units Staked, + 1.07% Yield)