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There is no rest for English clubs in midweek as the third round of the League Cup gets underway on Tuesday and Wednesday. While some Premier League sides already started their cup journey in the previous round, more prominent ones will join the competition this midweek.
Let's have a look at the three most exciting League Cup matches to watch on Wednesday.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Chelsea put Aston Villa to the sword when they met at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League a week ago, claiming an overwhelming 3-0 victory, courtesy of Romelu Lukaku's brace and Mateo Kovacic's strike.
The Lions will have an opportunity to exact swift revenge on the London side on Wednesday as they go head-to-head in the third round of the EFL Cup.
While Tuchel's men join the fray in midweek, Villa eased past lower-league Barrow 6-0 in the previous round to set up their first League Cup encounter against Chelsea since November 2006.
The last time these two sides met in this competition, the Blues brushed Villa aside with a comprehensive 4-0 triumph, so it's needless to point out the visitors' desire for vengeance.
But that could be easier said than done. The Lions have gone winless in their last seven competitive trips to the capital since a 3-1 success in December 2011.
Villa suffered six defeats during that seven-game sequence (D1), four of which came by 2+ goals 'to nil,' including an embarrassing 8-0 thumping in December 2012.
Manchester United vs West Ham United
Manchester United and West Ham United are set to exchange tackles at Old Trafford on Wednesday, only four days after their Premier League clash at the London Stadium.
Regardless of the outcome in the capital, the Red Devils will be warm favourites to progress to the fourth round, at least based on their recent H2H record at home.
You have to go back to May 2007 to find West Ham's last competitive triumph at Old Trafford, with the Hammers failing to beat United on hostile turf in all 17 subsequent duels across all competitions (D4, L13).
The sides locked horns once in the League Cup during that 17-game run, and it didn't end well for the Londoners, as they fell to a dismal 4-1 loss back in November 2016.
But David Moyes has brought West Ham back to life this year, as witnessed by their impressive five-match unbeaten start to the season (W3, D2).
Michail Antonio and co will face a stern test in Manchester, especially if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decides to play returning hero Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 36-year-old superstar was relentless against West Ham during his first spell at the United and will lead the line in their Premier League showdown in London.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Tottenham Hotspur
It's been only a few months since Nuno Espirito Santo swapped Wolverhampton for Tottenham, but the Portuguese manager is set to encounter his former employers for the second time already.
Football Today and other football news sites have this pegged as a football fixture to watch as a slow burner. Spurs eked out a hard-fought 1-0 win at Molineux in the Premier League in late August and will be looking to build on that result when they take the field this time around.
Worryingly, though, after putting together three identical 1-0 top-flight wins at the beginning of his new adventure in London, Espirito Santo saw his side humiliated by Crystal Palace 3-0 last time out.
A lowly 2-2 draw against Rennes in the Europa Conference League followed up, as the ex-Wolves boss starts to feel pressure ahead of Tottenham's mouth-watering clash against cross-town rivals Chelsea on Sunday.
There's no doubt that a potential victory in that all-London match-up would lift Spurs' confidence ahead of their trip to Molineux, though it won't be a simple task to achieve.
Meanwhile, Wolves outscored promoted Watford 2-0 in their most recent Premier League outing to snap a run of three straight league defeats without scoring.
Brentford's Sunday visit to Molineux should provide some clarity on whether the Wanderers are on course of recovery or that win at the Vicarage Road was just a fluke.
Written by Ketan Patel
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