Tuesday Carling Cup

Tom Allen thought that Derby at Pride Park would prove too strong for Leeds in the Carling Cup and he was right as they won a tight game 2-1

The Carling Cup has reached the last 16 stage and it’s good to see seven non-Premier League sides still remain. Two of them clash at Pride Park on Tuesday, where Derby entertain Leeds, and I take the Championship club to progress. Even money about a home win looks generous enough, given their decent run of form, and I think they are a class above their opponents.

Derby were an embarrassment in the top flight last season, when recording the lowest ever Premier League points tally, and things didn’t start much better for them this term in the second tier of English football. Paul Jewell’s men lost their first two home games, both by a 1-0 score line to Doncaster and Southampton in August, but they were quick to turn things around and their defeat at Reading on Saturday was just their second in thirteen matches.

Derby’s 3-0 reversal at the hands of the Royals looks poor on paper but Steve Coppell’s side are virtually unplayable in front of their own fans and anything but a hiding would have been a bonus. Derby have started to perform well at Pride Park, it’s three wins and three draws since those opening pair of defeats, and they’ll be looking forward to getting back on home soil.

Although Derby are far from the most prolific scorers in the division it is encouraging that they share the goals around and, while it remains to be seen just how strong of a line up Jewell goes with on Tuesday, any two from Nathan Ellington, Rob Hulse or Emanuel Villa in attack should cause Leeds problems. The latter of the aforementioned trio grabbed a hat-trick at Brighton on Tuesday in County’s delayed third round clash and will be eager to make another impact.

Leeds, clear favourites for the League One title pre-season, might have been expected to run away with things but it hasn’t quite happened for them just yet and they remain one point behind current table-toppers Scunthorpe. Promotion is clearly the priority for boss Gary McAllister, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him rest a few of his key men, and I’m not sure just how motivated they’ll be for Tuesday’s encounter.

Leeds’ success so far this season has been based on scoring plenty of goals but the hosts on Wednesday don’t concede too many and I expect Beckford and Becchio, if selected, to be kept pretty quiet. Leeds have been beaten at Millwall, Southend and Peterborough in recent weeks and they are clearly not in the same sort of form away from home that saw them start the season so brightly.

Just four points from the playoff places in the Championship, I expect Paul Jewell’s side to maintain their good form on Tuesday and make their class tell. It’s taken a while, but Derby are slowly building towards Premier League football once again and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the shake-up come May.