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Holders face Spurs repeat

Author: Lynda Collins
Date: 01/11/2009
Football betting

Manchester United will face Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup, in a repeat of last season's final which was won on penalties by the Red Devils.

A disappointing Wembley finale ended goalless, before United emerged as 4-1 victors in the shootout and Sir Alex Ferguson's men will have home advantage this time around.

Manchester City play host to Arsenal at the City of Manchester Stadium, with the two sides having played out a fiery 4-2 win for the home side in the Premier League this term.

Sportsbook favourites Chelsea face a trip to Ewood Park to take on Blackburn Rovers, while Portsmouth host Aston Villa at Fratton Park.

Who will win the Carling Cup this season? - Latest Football Betting

Meanwhile, United boss Ferguson has angrily hit out at media reports suggesting that defender Rio Ferdinand is close to being dropped.

The 30-year-old England centre-half has been below his best in recent weeks, but Ferguson has dismissed talk of him axing Ferdinand as a result.

Ferguson told reporters: "I'm not going into that because I read the stuff in the newspapers and I hear he is going to be dropped and all this, but I don't think you have access to my mind.

"You can try and pick my teams, but you will never pick my teams, try as much as you like."

Gloucester and England centre Mike Tindall is set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury in his side's 28-23 defeat at Sale on Friday.

The 31-year-old looks certain to be absent from England's Test match with Australia next Saturday after lasting just 16 minutes of the Cherry and Whites' clash with the Sharks at Edgeley Park.

The casualty is just the latest in a long string for England boss Martin Johnson, who has lost 13 of his original elite training squad through injury for the autumn internationals.

Meanwhile, New Zealand completed a 2009 Bledisloe Cup whitewash over Trans-Tasman rivals Australia with a 32-19 victory in Tokyo.

The All Blacks had Dan Carter to thank after completing their fourth win from four over Australia this year, after the fly-half grabbed 22 points via the boot.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton stormed to pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race of the 2009 calendar.

The 2008 world champion, whose crown has been taken by fellow Englishman Jenson Button, was quickest by more than half a second, with Red Bull pair Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber second and third respectively.

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