Chelsea v Fulham

The quarterfinals of the Carling Cup take centre stage this week, with Chelsea's televised West London derby with Fulham the highlight on Tuesday evening.The Blues continue to go from strength-to-strength under the wily Jose Mourinho, and gave further evidence of their well being at the weekend when stuffing London rivals Charlton 4-0, a result that lifted them five points clear at the top of the Premiership following Arsenal's defeat at Liverpool.Predictably, the layers make Chelsea hot favourites to win this clash at Craven Cottage, and although the League Cup wouldn't be too high on their list of priorities this season, it's not hard to see why.Mourninho may choose to rest a few of his star players after Saturday's exertions, but such is the strength of his squad this season, whatever side he sends out on Tuesday night will be more than capable of booking the Pensioners a place in the last four of the competition.Carlo Cudicini, Scott Parker, Joe Cole, Wayne Bridge, and Mateja Kezman are all likely starters for the Blues, as is Didier Drogba, who will be keen to get 90 minutes under his belt following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with injury.Whilst the Chelsea juggernaut continues to gather momentum, Fulham will be desperate to stop the rot after a poor run of form, which has seen them lose their last three games. Since being thrashed 4-1 by Chelsea on this ground midway through the month, Chris Coleman's side have lost 1-0 at Everton and were beaten 2-0 at home by struggling Blackburn on Saturday.In light of their contrasting fortunes, backing a Chelsea victory looks the obvious call here then, but at 1/2 they will only appeal to big hitters, so for an interest in the game, try a piece of the 7/2 on offer about Didier Drogba rippling the net first. (VCBet)As mentioned earlier, Drogba should be given a start and with Chelsea likely to create plenty of openings in the game, the Ivory Coast hit man looks a decent punt to break the deadlock.Tuesday's other Carling Cup clash takes place at Vicarage Road, where solitary Championship survivors Watford will be hoping to follow up their stunning 5-2 victory over Southampton in the last round by seeing off managerless Portsmouth.The Hornets saw their 11-game unbeaten run come to an end at West Ham on Saturday, losing 3-2, but they're clearly a tough nut to crack under Ray Lewington and will not make life easy for a Pompey team, still reeling from the hammer blow of losing Harry Redknapp and Jim Smith.Saturday's surprise win at Bolton helped ease the pain, but in truth they were extremely fortunate to gain maximum points from that clash at the Reebok, and are still clearly missing the presence of the injured Yakubu.Watford will be confident of causing another upset then, and at odds of 15/8 (VCBet), they look a fair price to do so. However, with the instrumental Brynjar Gunnarsson a doubt for the game, I'd rather go elsewhere for the value. The Icelandic midfielder has been one of the major factors behind Watford's improved form this campaign and his absence would be a huge blow for the Hertfordshire side.One bet that does tempt me though, is the 2/1 (VCBet) available about Watford's Bruce Dyer hitting the net at anytime. The former Barnsley favourite has done well since replacing the injured Danny Webber, and comes into the game in fine form, having hit three goals in his last two appearances.The lively number seven scored against Southampton in the last round, and with confidence sky high, he looks a decent bet to notch against a Pompey side that doesn't always travel well.Article source: Readabet.com