Carabao Cup Quarterfinals: A Hooligan Take | OneFootball

Because December just isn’t busy enough, the bright minds over at the English Football League (aka Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons) have their quarterfinal’s matches scheduled for this week. Except for Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace. Because the latter has an UEFA Conference League fixture Thursday.

It’s all just part of the Crucible. And we here at Hooligan Soccer give our spicy take on the three games happening this week.

Cardiff City vs. Chelsea

Tuesday, December 16 @ 3:00pm ETStreaming on Paramount+

The Bluebirds are the lone non-Premier League side left standing in this competition, and have the grace of home field advantage. They sit atop the League One table four points above second-place Bradford, so they’re no push overs. If there’s any spark of concern among the Cardiff supporters, it’s that two of their four league losses this season have come in the past ten matches. Of course, that’s all nullified by their five game consecutive winning streak. Towering Danish striker Yousef Salech leads the teams with 10g/3a, but has yet to make a contribution in a non-league competition. Now would be a good time to start.

My colleague Gary Striker is an unabashed Blues supporter. While he’s happy to see his side at the top of the table, he remains frustrated at their inconsistent form. It’s true, Chelsea are likely the best, more inconsistent team in the PL right now. That said, in terms of form, they are shockingly regular. Their home record is 4W 2D 2L, a +5 goal differential, averaging 58.2% possession and 5.2 shots on target. Their away form? Nearly identical: 4W, 2D, 2L, +7GD, 59.3% possession and 5.0 shots/target.

Two weeks ago I called their stumble to Leeds; Cardiff represents the same sort of danger. I still think Chelsea fails to play as a unit defensively, relying on individual excellence to keep them out of trouble. Enzo Maresca will be forced to rotate his players yet again, reinforcing this trend. Cardiff will stymie and harass Chelsea; it remains to be seen if they can ultimately win.

Manchester City vs. Brentford

Wednesday, December 17 @ 2:30pm ETStreaming on Paramount+

It’s very difficult seeing a bright side for Brentford in this fixture. Not that Manchester City are impervious; I just don’t see the Bees as one of the teams that’s going to bop them on the nose. Look at their form. Outside of a two game blip in a five day span where they lost to Newcastle and Bayern, and a VERY close shave at Fulham, they have been tremendous. Their unhealthy dependance on Erling Haaland for goals has dissipated. Since Matchweek 10 eight different City players have found the net, particularly a curly-haired Phil Foden who’s playing like he was a teenage lad with only one child again. City are the only PL team averaging more than 2 goals per game, while defensively they have the third best record (only 16 goals conceded).

But let’s try to find some positives for the Bees, shall we? They’re not doing as poorly as many pundits expected after the departure of many key players and ex-manager Thomas Frank. But their away form is simply awful, with only one win in eight matches. Okay, I’m not doing a great job of bolstering Brentford’s chances here. Because they have none. This should be a City romp.

Newcastle United vs. Fulham

Wednesday, December 17 @ 3:15pm ETStreaming on Paramount+

Fulham’s last four games have resulted in 20 goals. Newcastle’s previous five fixtures have seen 19 goals. This all hints at an exciting match-up between the two, at least for the neutral fan. Expect to see plenty of rippling netting.

Fulham are amongst one of the more confounding sides in the PL right now. They’ve spent seven consecutive weeks in 15th position, despite 4W and 3L in that same spell. They’re like a buoy, rising and falling with the tides (if the tides were all the teams around them in the bottom half of the table) but always remaining level.

Newcastle suffer from a real Jekyll and Hyde syndrome. When they’re on, they are fantastic to watch. When they’re not, well… things like the Nick Woltemade own goal happen. They dropped points in their past two Champions League ties, and earlier losses to West Ham and Brentford still haunt them. The added pressure of defending the cup doesn’t help. One minor trend in their favor is playing at home. After a dismal starting record at St. James’ in league play, in which they lost 3 of 4, they’ve turned it around, not losing since October 5 in all competitions.

As a match, this is too close to call.