The EFL Cup often struggles to get both players and fans excited but there are many reasons why Derby County will be up for the cup on Tuesday night when they travel to Manchester United. The main reason is the clash between the two managers, Frank Lampard has a chance to go up against his old boss and good friend Jose Mourinho, he would love to get oHne over on him I am sure.

I always think that the biggest teams are vulnerable in this competition, they will rest players and rotate the squad but I don’t think Derby will do that as much, if at all, their players will want to play at Old Trafford and they will want to win. When both are at their best, there is a big gulf in class between these two teams, but Manchester United are far from at their best right now. Add to that the fact they are going to rest many of their top names, while I don’t think Derby will and the teams are more closely matched. The final cherry on top as far as this fixture goes is that Frank Lampard would love to make a name for himself by going to Old Trafford and beating a Manchester United side managed by Jose Mourinho. When you look at all those factors I don’t think it is too far fetched to think that Derby can go and win this one, at what is a huge price.

Impressive Managerial Start for Lampard at Derby

Frank Lampard has made a very good start to life as Derby manager, guiding his team to sit in a playoff spot right now in the Championship after a good start. There has been a lot of positivity coming out of Derby and Lampard appears to have brought a real feel good factor to the team since joining this summer.

He has grown in confidence and looks to be comfortable in the role he has, and he is only going to improve over the coming years. Big games like this will give him the same feeling he had when playing in them, and that will be a huge buzz for him I am sure. He will be desperate to put up a good showing here, I think he will play a full side, and I also think his first team will want to play in this fixture, why would they want to be rested when the team are playing away against Manchester United. I think all this will push Lampard into playing as strong a team as possible which is the complete opposite of what I think Manchester United will do.

This could be the first defining moment of Lampard’s career, and if he is the man that many people have grown to love as a player and now a manager, I don’t think he will let it slip by playing a weakened team. He wants to better himself as a manager, and eventually he will want to be in the Premier League, this is his first test against an experienced top draw manager, who is also a friend, and a chance for Lampard to make a statement.

What Team Will Mourinho Play?

The most difficult part about betting on the EFL Cup is knowing what players are going to play and who will be rested. In theory, Jose Mourinho has three groups of players to call upon, his first team regulars, fringe squad players and youth players. He is one of the toughest managers to read, but I’d be very surprised is Mourinho played a strong team in this one.

I expect to see plenty of fringe players given the chance to play and show what they can do, perhaps even more after this weekend’s disappointing draw at home to Wolves. It would also be no surprise to see a couple of youngsters thrown into this game as Mourinho approaches a bust period with Premier League and Champions League fixtures on the horizon.

After two recent victories in the Premier League and one in the Champions League, Manchester United fans may have been hoping they had got over their tough start to the season but all that was brought crashing back to earth on Saturday. United were held at home by Wolves, another disappointing home performance and score line and a game where once again United failed to show the attacking intent and superiority they should be doing.

After finishing second last season this United team look sure to be overtaken by at least Liverpool this year, and they are now even further away from their neighbours Manchester City. Things are not going to plan, and on the face of it unless there are underlying internal circumstances, this United team looks as though it is simply not good enough to compete at the top of the Premier League.

Manchester United vs Derby Betting Tips

Derby look to be a huge price for their visit to Old Trafford on Tuesday, and it is a price that I cannot ignore. When you factor in the likely line ups and current for I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams, and certainly not enough to have Derby priced up at a massive 13.5 to win the game in 90 minutes.

As well as being a big game for his team, and one they will want to win, this is also a big game for Frank Lampard as Derby manager. He goes head to head against his ex-boss, and a good friend, knowing that there will be a lot of focus on the game. After a good start in the Championship, Lampard has been given the opportunity to make a real statement about his managerial career by getting one over on Mourinho away at Old Trafford. He will go there looking to win the game, and I think he will find it hard to play anything other than his first team, especially if they tell him they want to play, which I think they will.

If you are looking strictly at the two squads on paper then this game should go to Manchester United, but there are a lot of other things that need considering in the circumstances. That is enough to make Derby a competitive force in the game, and their price is simply too big to ignore.

I’m backing Derby and their boss Frank Lampard to go to Old Trafford and pull off what would be a very famous victory and a huge morale booster at the club.

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