Who will win the 2015 Capital One Cup?

Chelsea or Tottenham? Who will add to their trophy case and win the 2015 Capital One Cup? Both teams are going for their fifth Capital One, or League Cup and it’ll be a trophy that can give either of these teams a taste of more silverware in the future. Who wins? Let’s find out.

 

Why Chelsea can win

Chelsea is far and away the best team in English soccer this year. They are in first place in the EPL by five points and have only lost twice during their EPL campaign. They also look like they could be the only English team to advance in Champions League and would like nothing more than a Capital One Cup trophy. In terms of injuries, only John Obi Mikel won’t be able to play due to injury.

Except for Mikel and Nemanja Matic, who is suspended, this will be a pretty strong Chelsea lineup. Also, Chelsea has had the luxury of not having to play since last Saturday, unlike Tottenham who had to play in Europa League this past Thursday. That extra five days of rest and preparation is huge this late into the season.

 

Why Tottenham can win

The last time Tottenham and Chelsea played, Tottenham won in a New Years Day thriller 5-3. Tottenham knows that they can beat Chelsea and have done it just a couple months ago. Chelsea also seems to have been struggling recently. Chelsea drew to Burnley last weekend and Bradford City came back from two down to beat Chelsea in the FA Cup so Chelsea is certainly vulnerable depending on the day. Also, Matic’s suspension will likely have an impact within the team and it’s up to Tottenham to exploit that.

We also need to mention Jose Mourinho’s relationship with the referees within English soccer. Mourinho has been very vocal, or not depending on how you look at it, on how he believes Chelsea is being singled out and being unfairly targeted. While Chelsea has been the subject of being on the wrong end of some calls, considering the last couple weeks, I would say it’s more of an overall competence problem than a bias problem. Having said that, referees are human. Not only do referees make mistakes, if Mourinho keeps criticizing the referees every week, the refs could consciously or subconsciously be stricter on Chelsea than the other team in order to pay Mourinho back for his remarks. This could play to Tottenham’s advantage and it may get them the win.

Who wins

The big decision. Chelsea is the big favorite and that’s not surprising given their position. I really wouldn’t be surprised if either team wins but I have Chelsea as a 2-1 winner in regular time. Like in many big trophy games, Didier Drogba will come up huge. Harry Kane will score Chelsea’s lone goal and continue his dream season by scoring at Wembley but at the end of the day, Jose Mourinho and Chelsea will be wearing winners medals and celebrate their fifth Capital One Cup.

(BBC)

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @phillipbupp

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