League Cup Semi-Final Teams All But Confirmed

It would be fair to say that the League Cup is usually regarded as quite a meagre tournament by a lot of football fans, but there has certainly been some interest in the competition following the upsets in recent weeks. The tournament is regarded as one of the “quick cups” in football and even though we are yet to reach mid-December, three teams for the semi-final have already been decided and there is great anticipation ahead of the draw for this stage.

Following on from the above, here is a breakdown of all five teams that are still involved in the League Cup – and just how they managed to get to this stage.

Bradford

On most occasions few people take note of the League Cup yet the success of Bradford in the competition has at least brought it some much-needed attention. After the Bantams beat the likes of Watford and Wigan in previous rounds, most people thought they had used up all of their luck. However, despite playing against an Arsenal outfit who were extremely talented on paper, Phil Parkinson’s men pulled up another surprise and sent the Gunners crashing out on penalties. The result means that Bradford are probably the people’s team for this event and whoever they get in the semi-finals is sure to be in for a difficult encounter.

Swansea

Swansea have had a slightly easier run by their own standards, yet every team in the Premiership will reveal that the Swans are an extremely tough outfit to play against. While it took an own goal from Middlesbrough in the quarter-final to see them through, it’s no secret that Swansea can be one of the most fluent teams in the division on their day and this could bode well for their next semi-final match.

Aston Villa

Few people would disagree that Aston Villa have experienced an indifferent start to the Premier League season, yet the manner in which they breezed past Norwich on Tuesday evening suggests that they could be a very good bet for success in the League Cup. Pitted against Paul Lambert’s old club Norwich, Villa romped to a 4-1 victory and showed fantastic attacking prowess throughout. Moreover, with this being their second semi-final in the competition over the past four years, they at least have experience at performing at this level.

Leeds / Chelsea

The hectic schedule means that we’ll have to wait another week before finding out which one of these sides reaches the semis. With Chelsea overcoming Manchester United and Leeds beating two top flight opponents in Everton and Southampton in the past, both have been very impressive. This was once one of the top Premier League games on the calendar yet following Leeds’ demise, it is now up to the Whites to cause an upset and become the only representation for the Championship in the next round. Both teams have experienced very mixed campaigns in the league, so this could provide the perfect opportunity to at least record some success.