Match Betting (1x2)
According to the bookmakers, we are going to have a complete mismatch at the Kassam Stadium on Wednesday night when Oxford United host Manchester City in the EFL Cup quarter finals.
Karl Robinson’s side have steadily made their way through several rounds to get to the last eight of the competition and this is an opportunity to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the League Cup.
Betfair are prepared to offer 25/1 about a win for the League One outfit, with Oxford having been unbeaten in their last sixteen games in all competitions and there will be punters prepared to take a chance for small stakes at this price.
The U’s began with a win over Peterborough before getting the better of Millwall. Then came a spectacular victory over West Ham before a penalty shootout win over Sunderland and now they face really tough opponents.
Manchester City will regard this as an easy tie and betfair go 1/8 about a win for Pep Guardiola’s side who will want to land this piece of silverware even more considering that the Premier League title already looks like a lost cause.
The draw is trading at 9/1 and this would lead to a penalty shootout. It’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that the game could finish level and we think the game could be a lot closer than the odds suggest.
Asian Handicap
It’s crazy to see Oxford enjoying such a formidable unbeaten run and there has to be significance attached to the way in which West Ham were thrashed so convincingly, with the U’s looking to acquit themselves well against another Premier League opponent.
Karl Robinson’s side are 23/40 with a +3 goal handicap and we think that they are more than capable of keeping the scoreline respectable, while you can also back Oxford at nearly even money with a +2.5 goal advantage.
On the flip side, Manchester City are capable of winning by huge margins as they proved in recent away matches at Burnley and Dinamo Zagreb. We think that Pep Guardiola’s side always have the potential to win big and you can get Manchester City -1.5 at 13/40.
Alternatively, backing the Citizens at -2.5 would mean you need the visitors to win by a three-goal margin, although much comes down to team selection and it will be interesting to see what sort of team is fielded for the away side.
Both Teams to Score
The bookies regard it as a bit of a toss-up when it comes to both sides finding the net or not. The “Yes” option is a 10/11 chance and we will surely see Oxford come forward and try to cause the champions of England a few problems.
Alternatively, there’s a chance that the League One outfit won’t get a sniff against high calibre opponents and we’re sure to see Manchester City dominate possession.
BetVictor interestingly have 21/20 about the “No” option on this market and it’s possible that the visitors will enjoy a bloodless victory.