No Hallowe'en fright night between cup rivals

FOOTBALL seems to be the last thing on most people's minds for Wednesday's Capital One Cup clash between Chelsea and Manchester United but I'm not getting carried away by the hype that this is going to be some kind of brutal grudge match.

I'm not interested in the 4-11 (or whatever it is) that there's a red card and although I'm not quite predicting a damp squib, I'm unconvinced by those expecting it to be a chaotic free-for-all.

Is United's Marnick Vermijl really going to be that wound up with Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta? Maybe, if they're locked in a passionate battle to be crowned the 120th-best right-back in Europe.

Is Stamford Bridge going to have banners saying 'Welcome to hell' all around the stands? Only if Roman Abramovich has bought some and left them on the seats.

Are the Chelsea fans going to be dressed up in scary Hallowe'en costumes? Actually, apparently they are. The club's official website has implored fans to "get thinking about your spooktacular Halloween costume."

Seriously? I've heard it all now. In their defence, I think they were aiming the idea at kids, but I still squirmed when I read: "Get yourself dressed up – it's going to be FREAKY!"

Anyway, I'm not expecting a freak result, just a narrow victory for the favourites, and I'll be backing Chelsea to triumph even if I'm not backing them to encourage fancy dress on the terraces.