League Cup Primer: 5 matches to watch in the 3rd round

The Capital One Cup takes centre stage in England this week, with the third round of the competition offering up a handful of delicious matchups.

Here are five matches to keep an eye on over the next two days.

Crystal Palace vs. Charlton Athletic

Premier League darlings Crystal Palace host Championship outfit Charlton Athletic on Wednesday in the South London derby at Selhurst Park. Traditionally, the derby is contested between Palace, Charlton, Millwall, and AFC Wimbledon.

The trip to Selhurst won't require much effort for Guy Luzon's squad, with the Palace grounds and The Valley separated by a mere 13 kilometres.

Charlton currently sits 12th in the Championship table without an away victory through seven matches, a variable that could bode well for Alan Pardew's Eagles, despite their two losses in three home matches.

The two clubs last met in September 2012 during a Championship tilt at The Valley, with Palace winning 1-0 on a Kagisho Dikgacoi goal, their first victory at Charlton since 1968.

Sunderland vs. Manchester City

Bad news, Black Cats: Manchester City has lost its last two matches - 2-1 at the Etihad to West Ham, four days after falling to Juventus at the same venue and with the same score - and the last time the club lost three successive matches was in January of last year.

Sunderland has looked nothing short of dismal this season, failing to win any of its opening six Premier League matches, with a goal differential of minus-7.

Manuel Pellegrini's squad is also perfect away from home this year, with three wins in three matches, without allowing a goal, against West Brom (3-0), Everton (2-0), and Crystal Palace (1-0).

Not that City requires any additional confidence heading into Tuesday's match, but Sunderland also hasn't beaten the Mancunians since a 1-0 Premier League result in November 2013.

Tottenham vs. Arsenal

London's most heated rivalry resumes Wednesday when Tottenham hosts fellow North London Premier League side Arsenal at White Hart Lane.

Since the Premier League's inception in 1992, Arsene Wenger's troops have dominated the fixture, winning 18 of 44 matches, suffering only eight losses, and finishing above their rivals in the table 20 times out of 22. The derby has also been the Premier League's highest-scoring affair, with 131 goals in 46 meetings between the two.

With Saturday's dreadful, controversial loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the Gunners are enduring an early-season spell of uncertainty. One week they resemble a title challenger, the next a side that can't outclass Dinamo Zagreb.

A win against their hated rivals would go a long way towards instilling confidence at the Emirates.

Leicester City vs. West Ham United

Two in-form Premier League sides meet Tuesday at King Power Stadium, as Claudio Ranieri's Leicester City hosts a mercurial West Ham side. Both clubs sit on 12 points, three shy of league leaders Manchester City, with the Irons edging the East Midlands side by virtue of two additional goals.

If Premier League form is any indication, the third round Capital One Cup tilt between the two could spell disaster for the Foxes, as West Ham has been brilliant away from home this season with victories over Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City.

Leicester's home form has been solid but not outstanding, with a solitary 3-2 victory over a reeling Aston Villa, and draws against Stoke City and Bournemouth.

Despite both sides' recent bright runs of form, Tuesday's match could depend on the strengths of squads that Ranieri and his counterpart Slaven Bilic opt for, as neither side is particularly plentiful in depth.

Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City

The "Second City Derby" is rarely short on dramatics, and Tuesday's meeting at Villa Park should be no different.

Related: Birmingham City and Aston Villa renew historically hostile derby