The perception that the big teams do not take EFL Cup particularly seriously is belied by Manchester City as the reigning champions are on a quest for the unprecedented fifth straight triumph in the competition.Pep Guardiola and his men take on West Ham United in the last 16 at the London Stadium on Wednesday night. Another chance for the Citizens to prove Spaniard’s philosophy that every piece of silverware is both winnable and desirable. Five long years have passed since the holders have not been knocked out of the competition. This evening, they meet the side which eliminated Manchester United in the last round – more than enough for the Sky Blues to take this match-up seriously.Nketiah and Chambers send Arsenal to the EFL cup 1/4 final, Chelsea save their pride through penaltiesLiverpool are the only team to have enjoyed a longer unbeaten run in the competition. Between 1980 and 1984, the Reds went on for 25 ties without being knocked out. If Man City end up undefeated tonight, they with extend their streak to 22.In the Premier League, the Hammers actually benefitted from Man City’s weekend win over Brighton as it opened the door for them to climb into the top four.Londoners could join the Arsenal 1977-78 outfit who are are the only team to have eliminated both Manchester clubs in the same League Cup campaign.West Ham’s record in matches against Manchester City does not bode well – the Hammers are winless in their last 12 meetings with Guardiola’s men, losing 10 of those and conceding 35 goals in the process. It has been over seven year since the Londoners have not won at home to tonight’s opponents.Manchester City burst Brighton’s bubble – Guardiola shows Potter who’s bossThis West Ham squad is far more confident than any of their recent predecessors and with David Moyes setting his sights on a top-four finish, match against Man City could give him the opportunity to prove that they belong in the conversation.Guardiola will most probably miss the services of Raheem Sterling (lower back pain), Ferran Torres (metatarsal injury) and Liam Delap (ankle issue).Cole Palmer, talented youngster who netted his first Champions League goal for the club last week, should be expected in the line up. Zack Steffen should replace Ederson in goal, with John Stones, Nathan Ake and Oleksandr Zinchenko appearing in the back line.”You cannot cook a good dish if you don’t spend time in the kitchen. So, take time.”Czech duo Vladimir Coufal and Alex Kral will probably be missed from West Ham’s sheet for this game. The former needing a rest after carrying an injury for a number of weeks and the latter tested positive for COVID-19.It is sensible that Moyes will rest Michail Antonio rested which leads to Andriy Yarmolenko and Manuel Lanzini returning to the starting eleven. Jarrod Bowen should see Alphonse Areola, Ryan Fredericks and Mark Noble join him from the first minute.𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗗𝗔𝗬! 🙌🆚 @ManCity 🏆 @Carabao_Cup ⌚ 19:45🇩🇿/🏴 | 20:45🇫🇷📺 Bein Max 4 🏟 London Stadium #⃣ #WHUMAN pic.twitter.com/9phJq3Ugub— Saïd Benrahma 📲 (@BenrahmaFR) October 27, 2021 A home win for West Ham on Wednesday would not be a massive surprise if Guardiola does present a lot of youngsters or those with a small amount of minutes in on the pitch so far. Moyes’ men have what it takes to end Man City’s dominance in this competition.EFL Cup – Fourth roundTuesdayArsenal – Leeds United 2-0 (1-0)/Chambers 58, Nketiah 69/Chelsea – Southampton 4-3 pen (1-1)/Havertz 44 – Adams 47/QPR – Sunderland 1-3 pen (0-0)Wednesday21:45: (6.50) West Ham (4.30) Man.City (1.50)21.45: (3.20) Burnley (3.35) Tottenham (2.25)21.45: (8.00) Preston (5.30) Liverpool (1.35)21.45: (2.10) Leicester (3.45) Brighton (3.50)21.45: (2.95) Stoke (3.30) Brentford (2.45)*odds are subject to change
