The League Cup is often seen as the ginger step child of competitions. What should be noted is that in the last two seasons the winner of the February final has gone on to take the Premier League crown. This is no coincidence. The timely boost gives a club the final push over the line.With this in mind, all clubs should aim to win it every year, no one should feel too big to single out trophies they don’t need to win. This week in particular demonstrates the added value of the League Cup as five teams can use it to help their league campaigns.First up on Tuesday are two big London sides that need their ties for different reasons. For Arsenal the trip to Sheffield Wednesday can be an exercise in maintaining momentum. The old cliché about winning becoming a habit can be demonstrated here. If they can bag a handful of goals the confidence will continue to rise which will only help their push for the league title.

Chelsea on the other hand face an entirely different prospect. They are victim of another famous cliché, the dreaded Tuesday night away game to Stoke. Usually a loss in the League Cup wouldn’t be a problem for José’s men, but in the current climate he needs a convincing victory. Reports suggest a defeat to Liverpool at the weekend will see him sacked. The best way to head into that game is with a comfortable victory tonight.

Liverpool could do with a win, too. For all his charisma Klopp has yet to taste victory for the Reds. Bournemouth were unlucky when they faced Liverpool at Anfield in the league and will be looking for revenge. Klopp needs to get the ball rolling and the secondary competition gives him some scope for experimentation.

Also in need of trying new things are the two sides that left the Manchester derby goalless. Louis Van Gaal could “rest” Wayne Rooney to try new set-ups without his captain. The voices from United’s own fans are starting to grow in volume and they’re all suggesting Rooney needs to be dropped. Only Van Gaal knows if his refusal to do so is down to loyalty or fear there isn’t a better option.

The League Cup provides a good disguise for him to flirt with the idea against a Middlesbrough side that shouldn’t cause too many problems.

His counterpart from Manchester, Manuel Pellegrini, also can use the midweek home fixture to experiment. It’s appears he has a reluctance to test young Kelechi Iheanacho for extended periods. In the derby Wilfred Bony wasn’t having his most effective game but lasted until the 83rd minute.

Aguero’s boots are big ones to fill and Bony has a month to win over his doubters. In an ideal world Pellegrini would like to see him have a strong half, score a goal, then give Iheanacho a big run out. Crystal Palace will be no pushovers but Pellegrini takes the competition seriously and will attempt to secure the tie. He just needs to make sure he uses it to try the odd thing he’s not comfortable doing in the league.

Normally League Cup games in October carry little importance but this year they could help shape the entire season.

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