Birmingham head to Wembley in fruitless search for Carling Cup

A great day out it may be, but Birmingham City fans are set to leave Wembley devastated on February 27th as Arsenal continue to dominate the Carling Cup betting market.

Arsenal and Birmingham confirmed their spots in the Carling Cup finals earlier in the week, and the betting market prices Arsenal as the 1/4 favourites to lift the trophy, while Birmingham are available at 11/4 to lift the trophy.

Considering Birmingham have only managed the one win against Arsenal in the Premier League, it’s safe to assume that Arsenal are on course for their first trophy since 2005.

Admittedly cup finals can prove a lot trickier than league games, but since the League Cup became the Carling Cup, six of the seven favourites have gone on to lift the trophy.

This will be Birmingham’s third appearance in a Carling Cup final – they beat rivals Aston Villa in the 1963 final and lost to Liverpool in the 2001 final – and this will be Arsenal’s seventh appearance in the final.

Of the previous six occasions, Arsenal have only managed to lift the trophy on two occasions but Arsene Wenger is desperate to win a trophy to keep the Gunners fans happy and Arsenal should have no problem beating a team who are struggling in the Premier League.

Wenger’s chances of winning his first trophy since 2005 are helped by the fact that Arsenal are still in with a chance of winning four trophies, but with Barcelona next up in the Champions League, progress seems unlikely.

Arsenal are 3/1 to complete the Premier League and Carling Cup double, but Arsenal are 1/7 to beat Huddersfield in the FA Cup this weekend and a domestic treble – league, FA Cup and Carling Cup – is priced at 16/1.

A £25 stake on Arsenal winning the league and Carling Cup double would return £100. New customers can sign up here for a free bet worth £25.