Sunderland v Chelsea: Torres to fire in away win to nil

Sunderland v Chelsea, Tuesday 19:45, Sky Sports 1, Match Odds: Sunderland 6.86/1, Chelsea 1.574/7, The Draw 4.3100/30

Chelsea, 4.131/10 second favourites to win the Capital One Cup, face their second trip to the north east in a fortnight, but the cold air on Wearside should once again hold no fear for Jose Mourinho and his men.

The Blues, who turned over the Mackems 4-3 in the league, have won 17 and lost just one of their last 18 fixtures against Sunderland, who are winless in five games under former Chelsea hero Gus Poyet. Odds-on backers shouldn't have too many worries with this one.

Chelsea to win to nil

Basing a bet purely on the back of strong recent trends is a philosophy that will bring more tears than cheers in the long-term but when you can incorporate logic into a consistent trend then it's time to get jiggy over the selection in question.

Twenty-one of the last 40 Capital One Cup quarter-finals have been won to nil, giving the impression that teams are liable to wave the white flag when falling behind in a competition that is seen as a bit of nuisance and very much secondary to a Premier League clash. Managers may want to save their players' legs for the weekend rather than really go after a team that have raced into an early lead.

With that theory in mind, taking full advantage of the 2.68/5 for an away win to nil should prove a wise investment. It's hard to get away from the fact that Sunderland have scored just 12 goals in their 16 league matches this season.

Despite their recent blip, the Blues have a knack for beating teams and keeping a clean sheet. Both of their Capital One Cup ties have been won to nil (at Swindon and Arsenal) and in total they have won nine games in all competitions without conceding this season.

First Goalscorer

Time is running out for a Chelsea striker to finally score a league goal away from home in 2013. Saturday's Premier League game at Arsenal is the last chance for one of Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o or Demba Ba to put an end to that hideous stat.

Rather strangely, scoring goals on the road in cup competitions hasn't been a problem for Torres though, who has scored in four of the last seven away cup fixtures. The former Liverpool man also notched the opener for Chelsea in their most recent league win over Palace.

If Mourinho hands him a starting berth, he should be backed to bulge the net first at 6.05/1.

Best Bet: Chelsea to win to nil @ 2.68/5
Other Recommended Bet: Back Fernando Torres to score first @ 6.05/1