The Capital One Cup draw for the fourth round was made on Wednesday, and while Manchester United and Arsenal may well be content with their draws, their Premier League rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City face tough encounters.
Chelsea, who overcame Walsall to advance, face a testing away trip to face Mark Hughes’s Stoke City, who may well be looking to make their own mark in the competition this term.
Manchester City may be confident of overcoming Crystal Palace, but Alan Pardew’s side are capable of upsetting the big boys, having troubled both Chelsea and Arsenal this term.
Having only just scraped past Carlisle United on penalties after a wholly uninspiring performance, Liverpool look to be on the ropes, and a prospect of a meeting with Eddie Howe’s impressive Bournemouth side will not fill their restless supporters with comfort.
Having bested their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, the Gunners will be confident of seeing off Sheffield Wednesday in the next round, even if the crowd at Hillsbrough will be desperate to see their side pull out a big result.
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Manchester United may just be the happiest of the five EPL heavyweights left in the competition, as they are set to welcome Championship side Middlesbrough to Old Trafford. Boro may be flying high in the second tier, but Louis van Gaal will surely back his side to get the job done in front of their own fans.
Confirmation of the #CapitalOneCup Round 4 draw: pic.twitter.com/T31jhLFD6a
— Capital One Cup (@CapitalOne_Cup) September 23, 2015
Capital One Cup Round 4 Draw
Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace
Liverpool vs. Bournemouth
Manchester United vs. Middlesbrough
Everton vs. Norwich City
Southampton vs. Aston Villa
Sheffield Wednesday vs. Arsenal
Hull City vs. Leicester City
Stoke City vs. Chelsea