The third round of the League Cup ended without too many of the upsets we’ve come to be used to. But several teams came away from the round either looking more vulnerable than they did before the start of the tournament or getting such an unfavorable draw that their odds of pulling ahead seem small.
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Ahead of the fourth round which takes place in the final week of October, we take a look at which clubs look the strongest and which look the weakest in our League Cup Power Ranking…
16. Middlesbrough
A home win over a second tier club won’t convince anyone that Middlesbrough are viable contenders for the Cup. They’ll find that facing Man United at Old Trafford is a much stiffer challenge than anything else they’ll face this year.
15. Sheffield Wednesday
It took a lot of heart to beat a desperate Newcastle United team on the road. But Arsenal the task of beating Arsenal and other EPL teams looks too daunting for this club.
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14. Hull City
The defence has been on the top of its game the past two Cup matches, and the homefield advantage will be a big boost in the next round.
13. Aston Villa
The Villans are surviving with nothing but Jack Grealish’s feet, Rudy Gestede’s head and Tim Sherwood’s sheer force of will. But we’ve seen this team go far in the FA Cup; we’ll see how they do in the tournament this year without Christian Benteke.
12. Stoke City
After avoiding an upset on penalties in Round Two, Stoke pitched a 1-0 shutout to earn a spot in Round Four. Not the most convincing way to get in. And Chelsea are going to be coming to Britannia Stadium hungry for a trophy.
11. Norwich City
With one of the more favourable road matchups against Everton, Norwich have a chance to make some serious noise after putting three goals past West Bromwich Albion.
10. AFC Bournemouth
Bournemouth would be well served to bring in Callum Wilson against Liverpool. The EPL newcomers will only go as far as the hotshot Wilson takes them.
9. Southampton
The Saints have struggled mightily at home this season and have yet to post a win, but a match against struggling Aston Villa might be just what the doctor ordered.
8. Liverpool
The fact that it took extra time and penalties for the Reds to put away lowly Carlisle United says this team has some serious depth problems. But if they get Christian Benteke back at full strength by the time they host Bournemouth, they’ll be as tough to take down as anyone.
7. Everton
A home start against a Norwich team which struggles to score could be just what the team needs – especially one that has allowed one too many goals both in the Cup and the EPL.
6. Crystal Palace
With eight goals in their first two League Cup appearances, teams shouldn’t be taking Palace lightly at all, but the task of beating Man City in a shot-for-shot battle seems too daunting.
5. Arsenal
Now that Flamini has got that big game out of his system, it’s time to remind the world that Arsenal have struggled in defence this season, and have been making gaffes left and right. In all seriousness, feel free to bet the house that they’ll advance to the Fifth Round after a bout with Sheffield Wednesday.
4. Leicester City
Just as they have through six weeks in the Premier League, Leicester City have been unbeatable in the League Cup. They’ll try to avoid an upset on the road against Hull City, but if they can they’ll be the club no one wants to face in Round Five.
3. Manchester United
Martial, Martial, Martial. The French wonderkid has scored in three of his first four matches with the team. And outside of the EPL, Wayne Rooney is still the scoring ace we know and sometimes love. The Red Devils will be extremely dangerous and have an extremely easy match against lowly Middlesbrough.
2. Manchester City
It doesn’t look like anyone can stop a starting XI that has Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, and Raheem Sterling, and if David Silva returns to full strength by the time they face Crystal Palace…. oh boy.
1. Chelsea
After dismantling Walsall, it’s clear that Jose Mourinho plans to make up for his lost EPL points by obliterating the League Cup competition. He’ll have a chance to do it again when they visit Stoke City in the next round.