Southend United vs Man Utd

Stone last in the Football Championship and looking all at sea, if you'll pardon the pun, Southend United look up against it in a major way when Premiership leaders Man Utd come calling in this fourth round Carling Cup tie on Tuesday evening. Sir Alex will, to state the obvious, rest many of his big names, using this game to get match fitness into the likes of Alan Smith and Gabriel Heinze, both of whom have only recently recovered from injuries, while giving a run out to some of the young guns coming through the ranks at Old Trafford. Southend can, however, approach this game with a degree of hope having seen League One side Crewe take the Red Devils to extra time in the third round. Indeed, for a team that is struggling for goals in the Football Championship, Steve Tilson's men come alive in this competition. In each of the three games they've played in this competition so far, the Essex side have scored three times on each occasion. Midfielder Garry Hooper starred for the Shrimpers by scoring a brace during their 3-1 victory over Leeds at Elland Road in the last round. On the downside, they've been beaten in three subsequent Championship matches, but this is such a big game for a club of Southend's stature and, as we have seen so many times over the years, these small clubs often rise to the occasion and play above themselves when tackling illustrious rivals. The benefit the underdogs have in this situation is that they have cohesion: the same players that are playing with each other week in week out in the league usually make up the starting XI, whereas the big boys generally field B or C teams, featuring a mix of players who haven't played together in competitive matches much, if at all. Bottom line is, the Blues have nothing to lose and, with the home crowd behind them, I imagine they will throw the kitchen sink and all the utensils at United. As such, at 11/4 with bet365, my money is on Southend to be the first team to score in the match. Young strikers Fredy Eastwood and Matt Harold are good finishers and I envisage them getting plenty of opportunities to prove as much in the early exchanges. Verdict: 2pts Southend in the first team to score market @ 11/4 (bet365)