The Capital One Cup aka The League Cup kicks off on Tuesday UK time, hard to believe I know.
With all the hype of the opening day just gone, does anyone really care about the League Cup this early in the season. Or in fact at all until the final eight teams are decided and their team is amongst it. Most of the big names play second string sides, and a lot of the lower teams have bigger fish to fry in their own division. Sheffield Utd and Bradford City being the recent exceptions.
For the neutral, it’s always interesting to see lower division teams getting as far as possible, and the FFA Cup in Australia might just have the answer. Whilst that competition is a little too heavily manufactured to ensure one non-A League in the final four, some lessons can be taken in ensuring the lower teams get as far as possible.
Here’s our suggestion…
ROUND 1
Championship, League One and League Two teams are drawn against teams in their own division only. This ensures 12 teams from each division move to the next round.
ROUND 2
The 12 teams from each division continue to play teams within their own division to leave 6 teams from each level to the third round.
The bottom 12 EPL teams play against each other – 9 worst from last year plus three promoted sides. 6 sides from the EPL remain in the draw.
ROUND 3
The six teams each from the Championship. League One, and League Two are joined by the 6 winners from the EPL side of Round 2, plus the top 8 EPL sides who have yet to play. This leaves 32 teams remaining.
From here it is open slather in who meets who, as not to manufacture too much more, but until the semi finals all games are played at the home ground of the lower ranked side from the year before. Not that will guarantee upsets, but it will provide a bigger chance of them, plus it gives the lower ranked sides a little and sometimes much needed cash boost if they draw a big gun. With a game less for the Top 8 EPL sides they may find more interest in it as it is then just 5 games to a final.
ROUND 4
16 teams play each other – lower ranked team at home.
ROUND 5
8 teams play each other – lower ranked team at home.
SEMI FINALS
1 leg only – played at neutral venue – maybe even trying out something like the new Olympic Stadium or Millenium or Wembley.
FINAL
Final at Wembley
That’s just a quick revamp idea that could work. Of course nothing tops your side winning and progressing for interest in this competition.
ROUND 1 MULTI TIPS
SAFE N SOUND MULTI (Ones we think are safe) $13
WOLVES to beat Newport
NOTTINGHAM FOREST to beat Walsall
SHEFFIELD WED to beat Mansfield
PETERBOROUGH to beat Crawley
SHEFFIELD UTD to beat Morecambe
SWINDON TOWN to beat Exeter
MIDDLESBROUGH to beat Oldham
ROUGH N READY MULTI (Potential Cupsets) $39
SOUTHEND to beat Brighton
NORTHAMPTON to beat Blackpool
WYCOMBE to beat Fulham
BRISTOL ROVERS to beat Birmingham
ROUND 1 FIXTURES IN FULL
TUESDAY UK TIME
Accrington V Hull 19:45
Blackburn V Shrewsbury 19:45
Brentford V Oxford Utd 19:45
Bristol Rovers V Birm C 19:45
Cardiff V Wimbledon 19:45
Carlisle V Chesterfield 19:45
Charlton V Dag & Red 19:45
Colchester V Reading 19:45
Fleetwood V Hartlepool 19:45
Huddersfield V Notts Co 19:45
Ipswich V Stevenage 19:45
Luton V Bristol City 19:45
Millwall V Barnet 19:45
MK Dons V Leyton Orient 19:45
Morecambe V Sheff Utd 19:45
Northampton V Blackpool 19:45
Nottm Forest V Walsall 19:45
Peterborough V Crawley 19:45
Plymouth V Gillingham 19:45
Port Vale V Burnley 19:45
Rochdale V Coventry 19:45
Rotherham V Cambridge 19:45
Scunthorpe V Barnsley 19:45
Sheff Wed V Mansfield 19:45
Southend V Brighton 19:45
Swindon V Exeter 19:45
Wigan V Bury 19:45
Wolves V Newport 19:45
Wycombe V Fulham 19:45
Yeovil V QPR 19:45
York V Bradford 19:45
Bolton V Burton 20:00
WEDNESDAY UK TIME
Crewe V Preston 19:45
Oldham V Middlesbrough 19:45
Portsmouth V Derby 19:45
THURSDAY UK TIME
Doncaster v Leeds 19:45
