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Domestic cup competitions across Europe offer teams without much chance of league success the opportunity to add some silverware to their trophy cabinets.

It’s widely regarded as the next best thing for the league’s proverbial underdogs, the chance to realise a dream for fans of any team brave enough to go all the way and lift the trophy.

But more often than not, we eventually see one of the country’s biggest or richest clubs winning it at the end of the season and adding it to the league title they had also nabbed that year.

Although that cannot be said for the Capital One Cup at the moment, with the competition quickly becoming the most open domestic cup competition in Europe.

Last season’s final between Swansea City and Bradford City was a breath of fresh air for many a football fan and a real advert for the competition and the opportunities it provides for smaller clubs.

The year before that, we saw Championship side Cardiff City reach the Final, only to lose agonisingly in a penalty shoot out against Liverpool.

The year before that we witnessed relegation strugglers Birmingham City stun Arsenal with a last minute winner to give them something to cling on to as they slipped down into the Championship later that year.

In fact, the last time a League Cup Final was contested by two teams from the Premier League’s top-four was back in 2007 when Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 at Wembley.  That was just one of three Finals involving two top-flight ‘giants’ since 1987, when Arsenal faced Liverpool.

During that time we’ve seen the likes of Luton Town, Leicester City, Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Birmingham and Swansea lift the cup, while teams such as Oldham Athletic, Tranmere Rovers, Wigan Athletic , Bolton Wanderers and Bradford City have all competed at Wembley.

Since the competition’s inception in 1960, Liverpool have lifted the trophy a record eight times with Aston Villa lagging behind with just five. The likes of Chelsea (4), Manchester United (4), Arsenal (2) and Manchester City (2) have a long way to go to catch up with them.

But if you take a look at the history of the domestic cup competitions across Europe’s top footballing countries, they are not as wide open and winnable by anyone as our very own Football League Trophy.

Germany’s DFB-Pokal has seen giants Bayern Munich crowned champions a huge 16 times since it began in 1953. The second most successful side in the competition, Borussia Dortmund, has only six titles, which says a lot about how open that domestic competition is.

Moving over to Italy, and the last 10 years have seen just Lazio, Napoli, Inter Milan and Roma lift the Coppa Italia – all sides competing inside the top four, five or six of Seria A.  The most successful sides in the competition since 1922 are Roma and Juventus, who both share nine victories between them.

In France, where it is a little bit more open, Paris Saint-Germain, Bordeaux and Marseille have each won the Coupe de la Ligue on three occasions since its change of format in 1995, which suggests it’s still a competition most commonly won by Ligue 1’s biggest clubs.

Lastly we have Spain’s Copa Del Rey, which has been won a monumental 26 times by Barcelona and 18 times by Real Madrid. But, amazingly, Athletic Bilbao have 23 titles, although their last was way back in 1984. The last time a Copa Del Rey Final was played between two sides not in La Liga’s top six was in 2008 when Valencia and Getafe went head-to-head at the Vicente Calderon.

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It’s the continuous monopoly of big European teams in their respective domestic cups that gives the Capital One Cup’s exciting and unpredictable outcome each season even more pedigree.

And with Sunderland hoping to do the impossible in the Final this year, there’s every reason to believe you can win this competition, even if you’re not a top Premier League outfit.

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Swansea will be looking to halt a run of three consecutive Premier League defeats when Reading arrive at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.

Brian McDermott’s men are also in desperate need of points, after they were denied their first Premier League win of the season last weekend by Demba Ba’s hand.

The worry for Swansea boss Micheal Laudrup will be where the goals are going to come from, having seen his side fail to find the net in their last three.

There are no new suspension worries for the Swans, while midfielder Kemy Agustien is expected to make his comeback from a leg injury.

Defenders Kyle Bartley and Neil Taylor are long-term injury concerns for Laudrup’s men, with a thigh strain and a fractured ankle respectively.

Goalkeeper Adam Federici remains sidelined with a knee problem for Reading, while midfielder Mikele Leigertwood is expected to recover from a dead leg in time to feature in some part.

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Striker Jason Roberts has fully recovered from a calf problem and could make his first start of the season at the Liberty Stadium.

Prediction: Swansea 1-0 Reading 

It is safe to say that out of the majority of England footballers, Raheem Sterling is regularly under the microscope by the British tabloid media.

The Manchester City star will never be regarded by Liverpool fans fondly following his controversial switch to the Etihad Stadium in 2015, but even they have been left baffled by the latest media storm surrounding him.

Over the last few days, the 23-year-old, who is valued at £81m by Transfermarkt, caused waves by showing off a tattoo of an M16 assault rifle.

The ink was noticed in an Instagram picture that the footballer posted of himself during a training session with England.

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The Sun, which is boycotted by Liverpool fans due to the newspaper’s reporting of the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989, ran a story highlighting the anger of anti-gun campaigners.

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The furore forced Sterling into explaining the reasons behind the tattoo, with him revealing via Instagram that it was related to his late father, who was shot dead in Jamaica when the City star was just two years old.

Unsurprisingly, City fans have come out in support of the winger, and now Liverpool supporters have had their say.

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According to reports in The Mirror, Chelsea and Manchester United may have to pay more than £40m if they want to sign Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey in the summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Mirror says that the Premier League duo, along with English top flight rivals Arsenal, are ready to battle for the signature of the exciting Jamaican at the end of the season, with all three clubs watching him in action this term.

The 20-year-old only joined Bayer Leverkusen from Genk during the summer, and after a relatively slow start to life with the Bundesliga outfit he has got better and better as the campaign has gone on.

The Mirror says that while the German club are determined to hold on to the wide-man during the January transfer window, they are braced for bids in the summer and they believe the player could fetch a fee in excess of £40m, with Chelsea already having a £22m offer turned down.

How good has Bailey been this season?

He has been extremely impressive after a quiet start.

While he started the opening Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich, the 20-year-old failed to start Leverkusen’s following four German top flight matches as he took time to settle in.

However, he quickly reclaimed his place in the team and became a key part of the side, scoring eight goals and providing a further four assists in 16 appearances in all competitions.

Bailey is known for his explosive pace, trickery, dribbling ability and his powerful shooting, and according to WhoScored.com he has successfully completed 24 of the 48 dribbles he has attempted this season in 14 Bundesliga games.

Would he be a good signing for Chelsea or Man United?

He certainly would be.

While he may not be a starter for the two clubs right away, there is no doubt that he has the ability to be a key player for both teams in the future if he continues to develop and improve as he has been in recent seasons.

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The 20-year-old’s pace would make him a brilliant addition to either side’s frontline, and his ability to finish from out wide must also be admired.

Is he really worth £40m?

Given his progress and the way the transfer market is going he certainly is, and if there is a bidding war for his services from Premier League clubs in the summer it could push his price up even further.

Few things bring me off my seat while watching a game of football the way Luis Nani scoring a goal does. Not only are his goals usually as exquisite as they are unexpected, but him finding the net brings on a certain thrilling anticipation; how will he celebrate? How many flicks before the back-flip?

The Manchester United winger’s talent for gymnastics has even given him a reputation for being better at celebrating than scoring. And having recorded only 26 goals in 138 appearances for United, there is some truth to that claim.

Nani has completely failed to fulfill his potential with the champions. In his sixth season at the club he is still struggling to claim a spot in the starting XI, and despite recently signing an improved contract that will keep him in Manchester for another five years, the manager seems reluctant to pick him for the big games, or indeed at all. So why has such a talented player failed to establish himself in the Premier League?

There is no doubt Nani has what it takes to make an impact in the top flight. When he arrived at Manchester United he was quickly compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, and as this was the season after Ronaldo had broken through at a consistent level, the fans where thrilled to have the prospect of a double threat on their hands. Like Ronaldo, Nani has a vicious burst of pace when running at defenders. Like Ronaldo, he has mouth-watering skills and good feet, and strikes the ball well with either foot. Like Ronaldo, he has good strength, and can cross the ball.

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The difference between the two is simply that Ronaldo consistently plays at an extra-terrestrial level, and Nani tends to drift off into mediocrity on a more than consistent basis.

Now 27, the time when the Portuguese was excused for being young and unpredictable is long gone, and Nani must be expected to be reliable should he ever get a run of games under David Moyes. For a player who ticks every box on the skill chart, though, his promise far from matches his performance level. If I was to rate Nani for Football Manager, I would give him a solid run of 20’s in the technical and physical sections, and I’d might even throw in a 15 on flair, though that is where my endorsement of his mental attributes end. Because the only possible explanation for Nani’s Lada Riva-like inconsistency is that he’s in the completely wrong frame of mind to perform on a weekly basis.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Nani acknowledged that his form is below what is expected from him, and blames confidence for his inability to excel.

“The coaches are trying to get my confidence higher to show all the qualities I have got,” Nani said.

“They are trying to get me back to my best level.”

Could the answer to his issues be that simple? Football is filled with examples of players who seem to lose their very presence once confidence drops, as we have seen with Fernando Torres at Chelsea.

The early season has also been dominated by last year’s most laughed at player by far, Aaron Ramsey. We now praise Arsene Wenger for having the vision to stick with the Welshman, despite fans continuously voicing their discontent. Perhaps if Nani was given time to settle in the starting XI there would be a reward waiting for David Moyes in the shape of a completely changed footballer.

The problem is, that reward would be on the other side of a  run of games which would cost United precious points, and even a run at the title. The sort of confidence boost Luis Nani needs does not happen overnight, and the Red Devils must be prepared to drop points along the way should they choose this strategy.

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But it does seem like Moyes is more than willing to have a go at reinventing his winger. The five-year contract that was signed in October is surely a result of the manager’s long-term thinking rather than Nani’s recent performances, and Moyes has had success before with giving players responsibility.

With Nani, perhaps a run of games awards the manager with a good run of form rather than the other way around.

Can Nani turn it around at United?

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Mario Balotelli is the gift that keeps on giving to journalists, as Roberto Mancini left out the Italian star after a night out in Manchester before City took on Real Madrid, The Daily Mail reports.

As punishment, the 22-year-old was forced to travel to the Spanish capital knowing he would not play any part in the match at the Bernabeu.

He was pictured with boxer Amir Khan at the Circle Club after City’s 1-1 draw with Stoke, against the wishes of Mancini, who asked the player to rest ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match.

It is the latest bad publicity for the club in a string of incidents involving the Italian, with perhaps the most notable of them all occurring after friends set off fireworks in his bathroom, causing a fire.

Balotelli has also been caught smoking on a number of occasions, both in and out of work, reportedly refusing Mancini’s advice to seek counselling or hypnotherapy on the issue.

A source told the Daily Star: “Mario Balotelli is in the bad books on two fronts – a very late night out after the Stoke game and his refusal to stop smoking. He and Mancini had words on Monday afternoon and it led to him being dropped from the squad.”

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The former Inter Milan manager has so far kept the faith with Balotelli, but surely it is only a matter of time before his patience is exhausted.

Tottenham Hotspur are among a number of Premier League clubs keeping tabs on West Bromwich Albion forward Salomon Rondon ahead of a potential summer swoop, according to The Mirror.

What’s the word?

With Fernando Llorente’s future at the North London outfit uncertain, Spurs are going to be in the market for a new attacker.

Harry Kane is the main man at the club, but Mauricio Pochettino will certainly need a back-up in order to ease the workload on the England international.

The Mirror reports that Tottenham were interested in West Brom’s Rondon in January and continue to monitor his situation.

It is believed that the 28-year-old has a clause in his contract that states he can be sold for £16m, but Transfermarkt has the forward valued at £11.7m.

Is he good enough?

Getting relegated from the Premier League with a club never does a player’s prospects any good, unless he was the standout performer of a dismal campaign.

Rondon scored 10 goals and created four assists in 40 appearances in all competitions, which is not the best return.

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For a back-up, the Venezuela international has decent qualities, but Tottenham could be repeating the same mistakes that they made when signing Llorente from Swansea City last summer.

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The Spaniard scored just five goals in 31 outings, albeit the majority of his appearances were as a substitute.

It may be a more expensive option, but perhaps Tottenham should begin hunting for more established players with better scoring records.

With Manchester United next up for Southampton this weekend, things just don’t seem to get any easier for Mauricio Pellegrino’s side.

This season hasn’t been a vintage for the Saints, who look vastly inferior to the team who challenged the top six under Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman. Now, under Pellegrino, the defence is leaky and the attack is toothless – a fairly bleak position to be in, all told.

But when it comes to playing against the all-conquering top six, there have been glimmers of hope. Arsenal were on the ropes at times at St Mary’s, whilst it took Manchester City until very late to score a stunning curling strike to seal victory at the Etihad Stadium. This weekend, Manchester is the destination once again for a Southampton side in need of a kickstart to their season.

Although a back three formation has served Saints well in big games at times this season, going with a fairly defensive outlook and deep starting position, the fact that Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares will be missing means that playing with wing-backs will be difficult, whilst the injury / suspension combo ruling Charlie Austin out also means their top scorer will be missing.

So, Saints fans – should Pellegrino go with a back three against United, hoping that the likes of Matt Target or James Ward-Prowse can fill in effectively in the wide defensive positions? Or should he stick to a back four and hope that Oriol Romeu and Mario Lemina can protect the back line? Have your say below…

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It’s not really about the football anymore, is it? If you want to play a game, you have to check with the governing body, the broadcasters, the police, and probably the transport services just in case.

Jose Mourinho’s intention was right when he threatened to field an U21 side against Arsenal in the League Cup. Forget the matter of who’d come out on top between the two sides – that’s irrelevant. The matter is the act of defiance – which has apparently been withdrawn – for the shambles of forcing a club into two games within 48 hours.

One question that should be asked is what’s the point of the League Cup? Honestly? It’s sort of like asking people why the Premier League is the best. They really want to fight you on the matter but they’re not entirely sure where to start. Is there a need for a second domestic cup competition? Well yes, but only for the same reason that UEFA flirted with the idea of stretching Champions League weeks over a two-week period. Greater viewership and in turn money.

But it is farcical that the English football calendar doesn’t ever really have a break. Ok, those breaks do come in the form of international fixtures, but players are nonstop weekend-midweek-weekend-midweek for much of the campaign. And a winter break simply won’t be discussed, despite it being put in practise elsewhere in Europe.

That’s one issue, though. It’s the whole point that there is simply too much football going on. Imagine that: too much football? It’s almost ludicrous. We ache for the return of the football season for much of the summer, then when it returns we’re faced with problems of fixture congestion.

But like in this particular case of Mourinho’s attack on the fixture allocation – or broadcast allocation – you have to pick out a smaller problem from the big picture.

Why is Arsenal vs. Chelsea on television? Well anyone can answer that. The thing is broadcasters think they’re getting a blockbuster fixture akin to what we’d see on a weekend during league competition. It’s not going to happen. And why should it? Mourinho, and any other manager, is out to get the best out of his team so he fulfils his obligations as manager and achieves the targets set out for him. It’s not his problem to appease the masses – or the minority, because it is a minority running these things. If a Hollywood clash was desired, simply push the game back by a further 24 hours. Why should clubs be forced to consider the desires of broadcasters when they get little in return?

Andre Villas-Boas also had his say on this, though Tottenham aren’t set to feature on television when they play Aston Villa, so the issue comes more in line with the wider problem. Tottenham travel to Aston Villa on Tuesday night, allowing once again for less than 48 hours preparation.

It was quite pleasing to see Villas-Boas say, “It (the League Cup) is not our number one priority.” And why should it be? He probably sees little sense in it other than a disruption ahead of more pressing matters. He suggested a weakened squad would be put out, and rightly so. Every club prioritises certain competitions over others. What place do the media or even fans have to berate the choice to field a weakened team in competitions of limited importance?

The problem isn’t just limited to when games are played, but that they’re played in the first place. Next week is the Champions League and Europa League fixtures. Some teams are properly prepared for fixture pile ups such as this, but there’s an irony to the whole thing. It doesn’t matter if it’s football, retail, or office work, if there’s a high concentration of work that needs to be done and not enough man power, you recruit. Yet football wants a limit on spending and a limit on the number of players you can have in a squad, coupled with the presentation of high-quality or star-studded football every week. It’s just not possible.

So while television scheduling is a problem, at least for those who wish to sympathise, the real source lies in the volume of matches throughout a season.

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Does the television schedule need to be addressed in England?

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Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed question marks about Wayne Rooney’s future at Manchester United, but admitted his selection dilemma in attack are tougher than any other point in his career at Old Trafford.

Ferguson started with Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa in attack in the 3-2 win over Fulham and Rooney came off the bench for the final quarter of the match only to sustain a gash to his thigh that will keep him on the sidelines for at least a month. Although Ferguson stated that he did not want to start with Rooney and Van Persie together due to concerns over the fitness of both, his decision to leave the former out prompted speculation about his future. But the United manager has rejected any doubt about Rooney’s status at the club, saying:

“It doesn’t bother me to be honest with you, I am not in the slightest bit interested. It won’t affect me one bit, it is not a problem. It is only one game.”

Asked whether Rooney can rediscover his previous sharpness, Ferguson said:

“Yes of course he will. He will concentrate on that. He is a boy that needs games you can see that from the frame he’s got. He’s stocky, strong and he really needs games, simple as that.”