Carling Cup Semi-Final: Liverpool v Manchester City Odds and Betting Preview

LIVERPOOL, UK: Manchester City face an uphill battle to reach this year's Carling Cup final, following their 1-0 home defeat in the first leg of a penultimate-round tie with Liverpool. The league leaders go into the away leg as the slightest of underdogs, at 9/5 with William Hill, while the hosts can be backed at 7/4 with the same firm. Bet 365 are top price on the draw, offering 12/5.

The sides have already faced each other three times in the last month, with a diverse set of results. Liverpool's 1-0 win in the last contest came just a week after a decisive 3-0 victory for City, while the only Anfield meeting of the three finished 1-1 in a hard-fought affair. Although City have been poor in recent weeks by their own standards - with three wins, three defeats and a draw in their last seven - they will be high in confidence on the back of their last-gasp winner over title-chasing Tottenham on Sunday. Liverpool, meanwhile, were slammed by manager Kenny Dalglish following their shock defeat to Bolton, with the Scot warning his top players that such performances will not be tolerated in future.

A repeat of the 1-1 draw of City's last visit to these parts is the favourite score for the game, at 6/1 with Ladbrokes, while Liverpool are 15/2 with BetVictor to seal their place in the final with a 1-0 victory. The same score in favour of the visitors is slightly longer, at 8/1 with William Hill, while the game is 9/1 with Bet 365 to finish goalless, in which case the firm will refund losing HT/FT, correct score and scorecast bets as part of their 'bore draw' offer. Ladbrokes and BetVictor offer 10/1 and 12/1 respectively on 2-1 and 2-0 wins for either side, while another 3-0 win for City can be backed at 33/1 with William Hill.

Sergio Arguero heads an extremely tight first goalscorer market for the game, priced at 6/1 with Coral. He is followed in the betting by a quintet of players comprising Andy Carrol, Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli, Craig Bellamy and Steven Gerrard, who are all available at 7/1 with Ladbrokes. David Silva, arguably City's finest performer this campaign, can be backed at 9/1 with William Hill, who also offer 11/1 on Samir Nasri, scorer of the opener against Spurs last time out. Joleo Lescott, who also got on the scoresheet that day, is as long as 40/1 with Coral.

Liverpool's attidute towards their position in the tie will likely have some bearing on the half-time/full-time outcome. Bookmakers do not expect them to play too conservatively, however, and Liverpool/Liverpool and City/City are the two most likey sequences of events, both at 4/1 with Willaim Hill. The same firm offer 9/2 that both halves finish level, while Blue Square and 888 Sport offer 11/2 on both draw/City and draw/Liverpool.

Bookmakers believe Liverpool are in pole position to land the Carling Cup this year, with Bet 365 making them 4/6 favourites to lift the trophy. City are 5/2 with the same firm, while Coral offer 10/1 and 11/1 respectively on Championship sides Crystal Palace and Cardiff City. 

The second leg of the semi-final kicks off at 19.45 GMT and will be live on Sky Sports 1. 

For LiveOddsandScores.com's in-depth analysis of the betting, see our video below.

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