Who are the main favourites for the 2024/2025 Carabao Cup?

The Carabao Cup is England’s second-biggest domestic cup competition. Because Manchester City has monopolised the Premier League title for some time, clubs try to win the competition.

At the competition's preliminary stage, clubs mostly feature their youngsters to help with fixture congestion and avoid burning out their main men.

When the competition reaches the quarterfinal stage, as it does now, the clubs begin to use their best players as they see themselves close to winning it.

Liverpool, last season’s defending champions, have again reached the final eight of the competition and will face Southampton in the quarterfinal.

Most people who buy Carabao Cup tickets would expect them to beat the Saints and reach the semi-final stage.

However, they are not the only top team left in the competition, and they know that after Soton, they will face even tougher opponents.

Arsenal and Tottenham, who eliminated Manchester City, would be eager to take the trophy to London, while Newcastle, the 2023 finalists, would be keen to win it this time.

The teams left in the competition show that most top sides in England now take the Carabao Cup seriously, knowing it could be their easiest way to win a trophy in any campaign.

Arsenal wants Mikel Arteta to finally deliver a crown, and if he ends this term with this cup, the manager will have made some progress with his team after signing a new contract.

This article considers the favouriites to win the Carabao Cup after the competition reached the quarterfinal stage.

Arsenal

In the last two seasons, Arsenal has been the main challengers to Manchester City for the Premier League crown, but each time, the Gunners have failed to win it.

They have made serious progress over the last few seasons and have a good chance of being Premier League champions at the end of this season.

However, Arteta’s team has stumbled in the league in recent weeks and has not looked as good as it did in the last two seasons.

Cracks are beginning to show, and it might be smart for them to target a smaller competition like the Carabao Cup, knowing that they have an excellent chance of winning it.

His team needs trophies after he was trusted with a new deal, and soon, fans will consider his spell an unsuccessful one if trophies do not come.

Their quarterfinal opponents would be Crystal Palace and it will be a tricky all-London affair for the Gunners, but we expect them to win if they are serious about winning the trophy.

Liverpool

Replacing Jurgen Klopp with Arne Slot has gone perfectly for Liverpool this season, and the Dutchman has a good chance of ending his first season at the helm by defending the Carabao Cup.

Jurgen Klopp’s side was victorious last season, and Liverpool has overcome some tough opponents following their wins against West Ham and Brighton.

The Reds know how to win this trophy, and they secure wins in it even when they choose to field their youngsters to avoid fixture congestion.

Slot made changes to his teams against West Ham and Brighton, but everything Liverpool touches at the moment turns to wins, so they have won their way to the quarterfinal.

Most people would say that the Reds got the easiest quarterfinal draw among all the other top clubs in the competition, but no team got to this stage to be underestimated, so their match against Southampton would be far from easy.

The Reds would make a big mistake if they underestimated the in-form Saints, and that could prove costly.

Newcastle United

Eddie Howe knows the time is coming when he must present some trophies to keep his Newcastle United job, even though his position looks comfortable at the moment.

The Magpies have done well under him and played in the Champions League last season, but more is expected from him.

His team reached the final of this competition in 2023, and they have to do it again, along with qualifying for the Champions League, to show that they are serious.

Newcastle has struggled to find form at the start of the season, but reaching the last eight of the Carabao Cup shows hope after all.

Their quarterfinal opponents would be Brentford and that is as tough as it can get, considering how good the Bees have been in this campaign.

Newcastle would be banking on their strong head-to-head record in the fixture when both clubs meet, as they have won all five of their last five meetings.

Tottenham

Some fans and neutrals mocked Ange Postecoglou when he said he always wins a trophy in his second season at any club he has managed before now.

It is a fact, but it was laughable because Tottenham has been trophyless since 2008, and several top managers have coached the team.

The likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, who are proven winners in European football, have all failed to win a trophy at Tottenham.

Postecoglou has to back his words with results on the pitch, and at the moment, the Australian looks like he would do that.

His team has been in fantastic form in the cup, and after they knocked out Manchester City in the last round, clubs will begin to take them seriously.

They have eliminated the team everyone fears, and now we look forward to seeing how they perform when they face Manchester United in the quarterfinal.

It is another tough draw for them, but if you want to win the major trophies, you must eliminate the biggest opponents.

Manchester United

Manchester United has replaced Erik Ten Hag with Rubem Amorim, and the highly rated Portuguese gaffer will be looking to win the first trophy on offer this season.

He will debut as their manager on the 24th of November and will be in charge when they face Tottenham in the quarterfinal of this competition.

Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup as United’s manager, and Amorim has to do better to ensure fans see him as an ideal replacement.

He has won two league crowns at Sporting Lisbon and remains one of the most expensive managers in the world. United paid 11m euros to name him as their manager until 2027.

The Red Devils have started this season poorly, and winning this competition by the end of the term would be a good way for Amorim to end his first half season as their manager.

The Red Devils are clearly one of the clubs that can truly go all the way, but Tottenham eliminated Manchester City in the last round and must not be underestimated when both clubs meet.

Conclusion

This season’s Carabao Cup final would be interesting, and these top clubs would not want to miss out on winning it.