Manchester City vs Chelsea

Arguably the most eye-catching match-up of the 2022/23 English League Cup round three pits Manchester City and Chelsea against each other at the Etihad Stadium.

Erling Haaland’s last-gasp penalty catapulted 10-man Manchester City to an all-important 2-1 home win over Fulham at the weekend, helping them stay within a touching distance of Premier League pacesetters Arsenal. Inspired by a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W4, D1), the ‘Cityzens’ will be looking to progress beyond the League Cup third round for the tenth time in a row, with Pep Guardiola’s men netting 34 goals in their last nine third-round ties. It’s hard to see anything other than another clear-cut win for the back-to-back Premier League champions, considering they’ve won all ten competitive home fixtures this season, netting 3+ goals in eight of them.

In the meantime, following Graham Potter’s inspirational nine-match unbeaten start to his managerial career at Stamford Bridge (W6, D3), Chelsea again look like a side up a creek without a paddle. A come-from-behind 2-1 home win over sub-par Dinamo Zagreb in the final Champions League group stage fixture aside, the ‘Blues’ have lost their last two domestic matches 4-1 and 1-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal, respectively. That doesn’t bode well for the visitors’ bid to avoid going out in the League Cup third round for the first time since 2010/11. Having progressed beyond this stage in the last 11 attempts, the Londoners will have to defy their horrendous 14-game form at Man City in all competitions (W3, D1, L10).