Capital One Cup: Can the Black Cats or Hammers scupper an all-Manchester final?

David Moyes must look for succour wherever he can find it at the moment, and the Capital One Cup really does offer a window of opportunity for him.

A Wembley final, and a potential Manchester United victory over their increasingly fluent neighbours City, would be even more use to him in terms of building his status as it would in sheer sporting terms.

Let's be honest from the start and say that a derby is exactly what we're expecting to see occupy Wembley on Sunday March 2. The Mancunian pair could not ask for much more in terms of a chance, paired as they are with the Premier League's bottom two in the two-legged finals that commence this week.

So hearing Sunderland's Gus Poyet talk of his genuine desire to put league struggles to the back of the mind and chase the chance of reaching a final with gusto comes as some relief to those of us hoping for a competitive last four. "When the opportunity of playing in a cup final comes along, you must grasp it," he told journalists in his pre-game press conference.

Poyet is one of the more animated touchline-prowlers in England at present, so maybe enthusiasm is a given. Nevertheless, it felt validating to know a manager can see a cup competition as a catalyst to improve league fortunes, and instil a winning culture, rather than an impediment to league form - especially after the attitude of some Premier League managers to the weekend's FA Cup matches.

Whereas Sunderland are still in big trouble at the bottom, they are not yet cut adrift, and few would argue they are worse off for their cup exploits. The victories against Southampton and (especially) Chelsea in the two previous rounds were a demonstration that not all hope is lost.

They also showed that Poyet's side have become a tougher nut to crack at the Stadium of Light, where they've also beaten City in the Premier League. Surely a Wembley final, and competition for places in it, would further lift the squad.

The Black Cats can be backed at 5.79/2 to win Tuesday night's first leg (United 1.738/11, Draw 3.929/10) and at 5.85/1 To Qualify after two legs (United 1.21/5)

It is perhaps a little more difficult to imagine West Ham springing an upset on a prolific Manchester City.

Perhaps it can get little worse after an inexperienced side fielded by Sam Allardyce took such a pasting at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The selection was a clear case of prioritising this semi-final over the FA Cup, so one would at least expect a little more resolve from Allardyce's side here.

The biggest obstacle to believing in West Ham is their decimated defence, with Winston Reid, James Tomkins and James Collins all missing. Loan signing Roger Johnson - hardly setting the lower leagues alight with Wolves and Sheffield Wednesday - has every chance of going straight into the team at the Etihad Stadium. When we look at the 38 goals scored by City in 10 Premier League home games (and another five when they hosted Wigan in the third round), it looks tough.

Still, West Ham's most impressive results have been away from home - against Tottenham, on both occasions - and they played with real authority in the closing stanza of the quarter-final at White Hart Lane, with Matt Jarvis and Modiba Maïga shrugging off unconvincing league form to shine. If Allardyce might well be described as a pragmatist, he surely sees the value of his players competing hard in respect of the challenges to come too.

The Hammers can be backed at 7.06/1 To Qualify after two legs (City 1.152/13), while on Wednesday night they can be backed at around the 20.019/1 mark to spring a major first-leg shock (City 1.182/11, Draw 9.08/1).

Speaking on Monday, Poyet described competing outside the Premier League as a welcome break from "a nightmare". It can sometimes be hard to play with liberty in semi-finals, but Sunderland and West Ham have little option, or interest, in doing otherwise.