Football betting: Carling Cup final: Chelsea vs Spurs

Chelsea are excellent value to clinch their third Carling Cup win in four years when they take on Tottenham at Wembley on Sunday, with Paddy Power pricing them at 11/10.

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It may be the Carling Cup trophy carries the least lustre of all the silverware on offer to English clubs but now that they are in the final both sides will be giving everything they've got. For success-starved Tottenham, a first final in six years is manna from heaven and coach Juande Ramos can earn Messiah status if he manages to succeed where Glenn Hoddle failed six years ago, when Spurs lost 2-1 to Blackburn.

Putting one over on Chelsea is not a trick that has come easily to Tottenham over the years. They have beaten them only twice in 42 attempts, although they did thrash them 5-1 on the way to the final in 1992 and the other victory, more relevantly, was a 2-1 success at White Hart Lane last season. Spurs overcame Arsenal convincingly in the semi-final and have greatly improved under Ramos, but 12/5 is not a tempting enough price for a shock result.

Current form and the Blues' recent record in the Carling Cup suggests that they will have no problem penetrating a defence that is struggling for match fitness. Ledley King has not played since the Arsenal match, Michael Dawson is still trying to shake off a hamstring injury and so hopes rest with Jonathan Woodgate, whose own fitness is a source of constant doubt. Paul Robinson also looks in line for a return after playing well on his return against Slavia Prague – but he hardly instils confidence.

Essentially, the trophy is Chelsea's to lose. Avram Grant has taken the risky approach of dropping star players, such as Frank Lampard and John Terry, of late. Both England men were on the bench for the 0-0 draw at Olympiakos and there are already rumblings of discontent in the camp.

But whoever plays, the holders will have too much power and quality for their London rivals. Chelsea have come through a difficult spell in which they coped without the injured Lampard and Terry and African Nations Cup absentees Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Souleyman Kalou and John Obi Mikel with flying colours, reaching the first cup final of the season, avoiding FA Cup banana skins and just about staying the course in the title race.

Grant's only problem now will be keeping the many constituent parts of his gargantuan squad happy - Lampard is rumoured to be unhappy with his recent benching - but as the fight for first-team contention intensifies, so their performances should improve - beginning with Sunday's Wembley showpiece.

Last year, Chelsea came from behind to beat Arsenal in a match which ended in a brawl and we can expect an equally intense battle this time around. There is no love lost between these two sides either so 11/4 about a red card looks the way to go here.

Verdict: 2pts Chelsea @ 11/10; 2pts red card @ 11/4 (Paddy Power)

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