ZGlmZnVzaW9uLXY2LWZhbm91dC5yYWNpbmdwb3N0LmNvbQ==NDQzdHJ1ZQ==U29jY2VyYmFzZVVzZXI=YVc4N1Z4NDFiNGgybTc4UTRpT1ZvZmhxM0RENHphQVM=

FA rule Matic must sit out Wembley final

NEMANJA MATIC has been ruled out of the Capital One Cup final after an appeal against his controversial red card against Burnley on Saturday was only reduced from three to two matches by the FA.

It means Matic must sit out the showdown against Tottenham on Sunday as well as the next Premier League game, a tricky away trip to West Ham, and Chelsea’s defence has definitely looked more suspect without the influential midfielder protecting their back four.

Chelsea have won three matches  –against Bolton, Shrewsbury and Watford – without Matic starting, but he has been absent for only one Premier League contest and that resulted in a 2-1 loss at ten-man Newcastle. 

Jose Mourinho’s side were also knocked out of the FA Cup in a 4-2 defeat  against League One Bradford when Matic was in the stands. In total, Chelsea have conceded eight goals in five fixtures without Matic and only one of those games was against top-flight opponents. 

Despite the absence of Matic, Chelsea remain 4-11 favourites to lift the League Cup at Wembley and 8-11 to do the business in regulation time, while Spurs are 12-5 to give their London rivals the blues, as they did in the 2008 final.

Dimitar Berbatov scored for Spurs in that win but on Wednesday he will line-up for Monaco against Arsenal. He is 4-7 with bet365 to fire blanks across the two legs.

Berbatov is 2-1 to score one, 10-1 for two goals and 33-1 to grab at least three goals over the tie.

 

Match in Focus

19:45 TODAY

Bradford v Notts Co

Home WinDrawAway Win
Expert verdict
.

Teams

Agonising over Aberdeen?
Yearning for Yeovil? Our database is crammed with every football club you could possibly wish for

Players

A plethora of players ranging from Adebayor to Zamora. All you need to know to find out who is the best bet to score next

Competitions

Whether it's the Johnstone's Paint Trophy or the Champions League, Soccerbase will ensure you don't experience a big cup upset

Referees

Card-happy control freak?
Astute arbiter? Make the right decision on any referee with the help of our specialist pages

Managers

From Allardyce to Zola, our massive manager database, with histories and win ratios, is sure to get your vote of confidence