Houllier's Villa reign will start with a win
In the second instalment of tonight's Carling Cup previews, we look at Wigan's tricky trip to Preston North End, and the all Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers.
Wigan v Preston
Wigan play hosts to their friends up the road and, having put 11 goals past their neighbours in the last four meetings, Wigan are the understandable favourites, with current odds of [1.76] for local bragging rights. That said, in recent years, Preston actually have a better winning record on Latic's turf than their hosts, so backin Preston to win could make for a very interesting bet at [5.2].
Aston Villa v Blackburn
Both teams will be hard pushed to reproduce last season's stonking 6-4 semi-final, which Aston Villa won. But Villa fans will be particularly pleased to know that Gerard Houllier tends to get off to winning starts when he takes over new clubs - having enjoyed a first outing win with both Liverpool and Lyon.
As we mentioned in our Bet of the Day, he has won the Carling Cup twice already during his time at Liverpool. The odds of another first win with a new club are [1.99]. That said, Villa fans would be wise to be cautious - Blackburn have a fairly decent record at Villa Park, having won there seven times in the last 20 years. Their odds of pulling off a minor upset are [4.2].
Liverpool v Northampton
If Roy Hodgson is looking for a gust of wind for the Anfield sails, this could be his night. Northampton haven't had the greatest start to the season in League Two, so Liverpool should be looking to get a hat full, with the odds of a hat-trick looking particularly tasty at [4.0].
Can you spot a potential upset? Let us know with a comment...
Published: 22 Sep 2010
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