Predication: Swansea vs Manchester United

Verdict: Manchester United win

Best Odds: 1/2

Bookmaker: Bet365

On Tuesday night, Manchester United will be looking to put Saturday’s surprise defeat to Huddersfield behind them as Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils travel to Liberty Stadium as they will be looking to carry on their journey to defend their League Cup title.

Swansea

Much like Manchester United, Swansea will be looking to bounce back from a defeat at the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, Paul Clement’s Swansea side lost 2-1 at home to managerless Leicester City. In terms of their form in the Carabao Cup, this will be the first major test that Swansea will face on route to the quarterfinals, so far in the tournament, The Swans have come away with wins over Reading and MK Dons. However, Swansea fans will know that in their last two EFL cup ties against Premier League sides, Swansea have come away empty handed.

Currently sat 15th in the Premier League table, Swansea have only managed to score four goals in five appearances at the Liberty Stadium, already this year, The Swans have lost against Watford, Newcastle, Leicester and they’ve even suffered a 4-0 home defeat to their visitors on Tuesday night.

Team News

Despite only making two previous appearances for Swansea, Paul Clement’s £11million signing Roque Mesa will start in The Swans midfield. However, Clement will be without a string of key first-team players, Striker Wilfred Bony will be missing his third consecutive game as the Ivorian is still recovering from a thigh injury.

Along with Bony, Swansea will also be without Bayern Munich loanee and Portugal international Renato Sanches, like Bony, the midfielder will miss Tuesday’s clash with a thigh injury. He will also be joined by defender Kyle Bartley and Dutch midfielder Leroy Fer who will miss the game due to suspension.

Manchester United

After tasting their first defeat of the season in any competition on the weekend, Jose Mourinho’s side have hit a small bump in the road and United appear to have lost their spark in their last three outings, defeat on Saturday ended Mourniho’s 10-match unbeaten run and they now trail league leaders and archrivals Manchester City by five points.

With striker Romelu Lukaku yet to score a goal in October, United have now only managed to find the back of the net twice in their last four games, the Red Devils managed to score 13 goals in the four appearances before their 0-0 draw with Liverpool.

Although the United boss may have made it clear he thought the EFL Cup was a waste of his players’ energy, Mourinho has always been respectful of the cup and the Portuguese tactician will certainly be keen on retaining United’s EFL crown. He will however be without a number of key players, come Tuesday night, United could be missing up to seven first-team stars.

Team News

In typical Manchester United fashion, the defending champions look set to make several changes for their last-16 match. Goalkeeper Sergio Romero who has appeared in each of United’s previous EFL games looks set to carry on his record and will replace David de Gea. There could also be a recall for Luke Shaw, despite recovering from an injury earlier in the season, the left-back has struggled to break into Mourinho’s side.

As for United’s absentees, the Red’s will be without Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Michael Carrick, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Marouane Fellaini and Marcos Rojo. Although veteran midfielder Nemanja Matic is hoping for a rest, the Serbian international could start in a weakened United midfield.

Key Factors to Consider

• Manchester United have won three of their last four matches against Swansea
• Swansea have only managed to score four goals in their five appearances when playing at the Liberty Stadium
• Both sides enter the contest coming off the back of a 2-1 defeat at the weekend
• Swansea have only kept a single clean sheet at home so far this season
• United have only managed to score two goals in their last four appearances

Conclusion

Granted, United have not looked like the same side that started the season with such ferocity, but, Jose Mourinho will be demanding that his side bounce back on Tuesday night. After beating The Swans 4-0 in August, United have now won three of their last four matchups against Swansea, two of them victories coming at the Liberty Stadium.

Coupled with the fact that Swansea have only managed to pick up one win at home all season, we fancy that Jose Mourinho’s side will be looking to make a statement to their cross-town rivals and see their way through to the quarterfinals.

Verdict: Manchester United win

Best Odds: 1/2

Bookmaker:Bet365