Carling Cup Final

There is a wide range of exciting sporting events taking place this weekend all around Europe and we’ll be previewing the best of the action here.

Carling Cup Final:

The biggest game of the weekend comes from Wembley Stadium as Aston Villa and Manchester United go head-to-head for the chance to claim the first domestic cup of the season. This is the eighth time that these two sides have made it to the final of the League Cup, with Villa having won the trophy five times compared to Manchester United’s three times. However, Manchester United are the reigning champions after beating the 2008 champions Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in a penalty shootout.

Can Villa defeat the champions and win their first trophy since they last lifted the League Cup in 1996? Alex Ferguson’s men are the odds-on favourites to claim their fourth title, but Villa have not lost to United this season, including beating them 1-0 at Old Trafford, which is their only league defeat at home this season.

How will the game go? This game is a big match for Manchester United, but is the biggest game of the season for Villa and I fancy Villa to want it more.

BetRepublic.com Tip: Back Aston Villa to win.

Chelsea v Manchester City:

Keeping with the football theme, the biggest Premier League match of the weekend comes from Stamford Bridge as Chelsea entertain Manchester City. Chelsea will be looking to bounce back from a defeat in Milan on Wednesday night, while Man City need to get something from the game after going out of the FA Cup to Stoke City and playing out a terrible match against Liverpool last weekend. However, City will find it tough to get anything from the game against a team that are unbeaten in twenty-four home league matches in a run that stretches back as far as November 2008.

Unfortunately for Chelsea they are having a poor run of injuries at the moment, with Ashley Cole and Michael Essien out with long term problems and Petr Cech picking up a knock in Italy. Combined with a long trip back and playing early on Saturday, City will feel that they have a chance to end Chelsea’s long unbeaten run at home.

BetRepublic.com Tip: Back the game to finish level, with both teams to score.

England v Ireland:

In a departure from the football theme we had going, the final game we are previewing from this weekend is the Six Nations game between England and Ireland at Twickenham. After losing in Paris last time out, Ireland will need to return to winning ways this weekend or face the prospect of not retaining their title. Will they be able to do so against an England side that is unbeaten in its first two matches? Despite the majority of the bookmakers having England as very slight favourites to win the game in eighty minutes, it is very possible that Ireland can pick up the two points. However, they will need to start playing in a similar vein to 2009.

BetRepublic.com Tip: I’m with the bookies on this one, it is going to be incredibly close but I feel that Ireland will take the win.

Visit www.BetRepublic.com for more top tips.

By Antony Jordon, BetRepublic.com