Spurs vs. West Ham (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
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Two bitter London rivals desperate to end trophy droughts face off in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on Wednesday when West Ham United make the short trip North to face Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs returned to action following a two-week break with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at the weekend, while West Ham saw their match against Norwich City postponed.
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 West Ham United (after extra time)
This fixture has rarely disappointed in recent years, and under the lights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in the final game before Christmas, there is sure to be a great atmosphere.
It is a difficult one to call with West Ham having suffered a blip in form but also having had a week's rest, whereas Tottenham were involved in a breathless and bruising clash with Liverpool just three days before this one.
It could go beyond the 90 minutes in North London and it would not be a huge surprise to see it go either way, but we are just siding with Tottenham for this one.
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> How Spurs could line up against West Ham
Brentford vs. Chelsea (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
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Three days after failing with an attempt to have their Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers postponed, Chelsea are set to be forced back into action again for Wednesday's EFL Cup quarter-final against Brentford.
The Blues are suffering an ever-worsening coronavirus outbreak within their squad, giving Brentford extra hope of claiming a major scalp in this West London derby.
We say: Brentford 0-1 Chelsea
Uncertainty over what to expect from each team - and therefore each game - is likely to be a feature of the upcoming weeks, and it is particularly prevalent in this match with both clubs at different stages of a COVID outbreak.
Chelsea's strength in depth is formidable, but even that is being stretched at the moment and Brentford may not get many better chances to get one over their neighbours, although they too are likely to be far from full strength.
We are backing the visitors to just about edge this one, but if they are to reach the semi-finals then they will need to overcome plenty of adversity en route.
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> How Chelsea could line up against Brentford
> Chelsea injury, suspension list vs. Brentford
Liverpool vs. Leicester (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
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With the lingering threat of coronavirus hanging over both clubs, Liverpool welcome Leicester City to Anfield in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night - the first of two meetings between the two sides in the space of a week.
Brendan Rodgers returns to face his former club having seen Leicester undergo an enforced 10-day break due to a COVID-19 outbreak, whereas Liverpool are in the midst of a run of four games in 10 days.
We say: Liverpool 2-1 Leicester City
The level of uncertainty surrounding this match makes it nigh-on impossible to call, and this tie perhaps more than any other will bring the pitfalls of forcing the fixture schedule to continue into sharp focus.
Both sides will likely be fielding patched-up sides amid varying stages of coronavirus outbreaks, and the result could depend on just how badly Leicester are still affected by their own.
If it does come down to squad depth then Liverpool should just about have the edge, although this is a fixture packed with variables which could swing it either way.
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