Carling Cup Final : Cardiff vs Liverpool

Liverpool are expected to pick up their first trophy of the new Kenny Dalglish era on Sunday when they take on Championship side Cardiff and the prospect of a cup double remains this season with Liverpool receiving a favourable draw in the FA Cup Quarter Final which makes a result on Sunday all the more important. Can Liverpool overcome Cardiff and what are the best bets for Sunday’s game.

Liverpool are the strong favourites to get the job done in 90 minutes on Sunday at Wembley, Liverpool can generally be backed at 2/5 to win without the need for extra time, if you think Liverpool might need extra time or penalties then the odds are going to get even shorter, Liverpool are just 1/6 to lift the trophy which is good news for Liverpool fans who want to see them team win the Carling Cup but bad news for those looking to make a decent profit on Liverpool on Sunday. The draw is the next most likely result according to the bookies, that outcome is 7/2 whilst Cardiff are 9/2 to lift the trophy and 8/1 to win in 90 minutes.

Cardiff have obviously done well to reach the final but they haven’t had to beat a team who is likely to be in the Premiership next season to get here. The only Premiership team that have played is Blackburn at home and they won that game 2-0, other teams they have beaten include Crystal Palace, Burnley, Leicester, Huddersfield and Oxford. There aren’t many giants in there so Liverpool might not have to worry too much but Liverpool have struggled against some lesser sides this season, Liverpool lost against Bolton and drew at home against Swansea, Norwich, Sunderland, Blackburn and Stoke so presuming Liverpool win they might struggle to show their superiority making Liverpool to win by a one goal margin a decent bet at 11/4.

If Liverpool do win this by a one goal margin the most likely correct scores would be 1-0 and 2-1, those outcomes can be backed at 6/1 and 8/1 respectively. More confident Liverpool fans will be expecting a winning margin of more than one goal, if Liverpool win by a two goal margin 2-0 and 3-1 appeal at 11/2 and 12/1 respectively whilst a bigger winning margin would surely mean a 3-0 win at 8/1. However many Liverpool fans would expect Luis Suarez to rise to the occasion and get his name on the scoresheet. Suarez is the favourite to open the scoring at 15/4 and to score anytime at evens but what about Craig Bellamy? He’s an interesting choice having spent last season on loan at Cardiff, Bellamy is next best at 17/4 to score first and 11/10 to score at anytime.

Are these the best bets for Liverpool v Cardiff? Can Liverpool win the Carling Cup on Sunday? What are your best bets for this fixture? Tell us your best bets on the game against Cardiff here.