Carling Cup Final Betting Tips

Arsene Wenger looks set to rely on his young guns in the Carling Cup Final against Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday, and given how well the youngsters have been performing in this competition, the Blues would be foolish to underestimate them. However, the Gunners' coach could be extremely short on options in defence. One suspects that William Gallas will be rested, while both Gael Clichy and Justin Hoyte will need to pass fitness tests following a foot and hamstring problem respectively, to decide whether they will be able to take part. With Emmanuel Eboue still recovering from an ankle injury, Arsenal could be threadbare at the back - how Wenger must now be ruing his decision to let Lauren depart to Portsmouth. Gilberto Silva will no doubt fulfil his defensive midfield role with distinction, as he has been all season, but if the likes of Clichy and Hoyte are unable to line-up, then the north London side will have real problems dealing with the pace of the likes of Arjen Robben down the flank. That said, Jose Mourinho must be cursing his luck as John Terry had to come off early in the match during Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Porto in their Champions League tie in midweek and, as we saw when Terry was sidelined with an injury recently, the Blues' central defence looks far from impenetrable. Ricardo Carvalho is the only fit central defender so Michael Essien may once again have to play at the back. To their credit, though, that defensive combination repelled Porto attacks for much of that game and they will go into this match with a greater spring in their heels than Arsenal, as the Gunners produced a lacklustre display away to PSV Eindhoven, losing 1-0. Chelsea also boast the better recent form in this competition having lifted the trophy in 2005, while Arsenal have exited at the semi-final stage on four occasions subsequent to when last victorious in 1993. Mourinho will have been heartened by the performance of Andriy Shevchenko in the Porto game - the Ukranian hitman looked as sharp as a razor blade that day and, if he translates that European display to the domestic sphere, he'll not be long in justifying the substantial fee Chelsea paid to lure him from AC Milan during the summer. One suspects he and Kalou may start up front with Drogba on the bench, but it's hard to be dogmatic about either sides starting XI. As for Arsenal's forward line, skipper Thierry Henry will be rested with, perhaps, Adebayor and Aliadiere playing as out and out strikers. In any case, the most potent goalscoring threat they will pose will, in my opinion, come from the midfield area where Czech Republic international Thomas Rosicky will be roaming with intent. The 27-year-old is one of few players in the Arsenal squad that is willing to shoot from outside of the box. And at 18/1 with Bet Direct, I cannot resist a small punt on Rosicky in the first goalscorer market. Predicting the outcome of this mouthwatering clash is perilously difficult, especially given Arsenal's inconsistency, but ultimately Chelsea's greater strength in depth may be what gives them the edge on the day. Their style of football is nowhere near as attractive as that of Arsenal, but as they've demonstrated by winning the last two Premiership's titles, they are a robust outfit and are a far more reliable proposition. However, at a best-priced 5/4 backing Chelsea in the match result market isn't that tempting, and I'm inclined to look to the total goals market for a better betting option. In the last 15 games between these two bitter London rivals, 41 goals have been scored, which equates to an average of over 2.7 goals per game. This adds credence to my fancy of three in the total goals market at 7/2 with Vcbet. If pressed, I'd nominate Chelsea 2-1 as the likely score, but the total goals option is the safer one. Verdict - 0.50pts Thomas Rosicky in the first goalscorer market @ 18/1 (Bet Direct) & 1pt 3 in the total goals market @ 7/2 (VCbet)