After the drama of last weekend which saw Chelsea smash seven past hapless Norwich, Man City grab four away at Brighton, Watford thump Everton on the road and perhaps most incredibly of all, Liverpool thrash Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford, the focus turns this week to the third competition in England, the Football League Cup, also known as the Carabao Cup.
With West Ham, Manchester City, Liverpool, Brentford, Tottenham, Leicester, Brighton, Arsenal, Leeds, Southampton and Chelsea still in the competition, there are still plenty of big teams aiming to move on to the quarterfinals this week.
Each game in the EFL Cup is played over one leg, apart from the semifinals of the tournament, and extra time and penalties are used to decide the winner in the event of a drawn game. That means that by Wednesday night, we will know the eight teams that make up the quarterfinals (and we will also know the draw for the quarterfinals which takes place on Wednesday evening too).
This competition is interesting from a betting point of view as it is a tournament in which the big teams traditionally play second-string teams, at least until the semifinals stage, and that can give you some appealing odds with bet365, especially if you have a few bet365 credits left over in your account. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you signed up with bet365 through a different site, like bet365 Games, you can still enjoy sports betting from the same log in.
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There’s probably not a huge amount of interest in the EFL Cup across the United States, but if you do fancy a bet on one of the games, or the action across Tuesday and Wednesday this week, then BetRivers Sportsbook is still the best place to head.
Let’s now look at the games coming up this week.
EFL Cup Fourth Round Ties
Tuesday 26th October
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Arsenal v Leeds United
It is likely both teams will rest players for this game after their exertions at the weekend, although Marcelo Bielsa does tend to pick a good number of first team players alongside his less experienced youngsters. That could give Leeds a chance against an Arsenal side who have won five of their last seven in all competitions. The Gunners home form has been much improved of late though and even if they do elect to change a number of players, they still have great quality to bring into the squad. I just feel that extra quality that Arsenal have, plus the fact they are the home team will be the key factors here and I am backing them to earn the win here.
Our Prediction – Arsenal 2-1 Leeds United – 15/2
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Chelsea v Southampton
After a 7-0 win over Norwich at the weekend, Chelsea will come into this game invigorated and
ready to progress, even if manager Thomas Tuchel decides to rest a number of key players for this game. Chelsea’s squad depth is such that even a second-string team is filled with international stars and being at home too just adds to Chelsea’s advantage. Southampton will probably also rest some players but they know they can’t play a weakened team here or they will just hand the tie to Chelsea on a plate. So I expect a relatively strong Saints team to take the field here but even so, I am expecting the home side to earn a comfortable win and a place in the next phase of the tournament.
Our Prediction – Chelsea 2-0 Southampton – 11/2
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QPR v Sunderland
This is the only tie without a Premier League team competing in it, so it is a great opportunity for either of these teams to reach the latter stages of the tournament. QPR are in a division ahead of Sunderland and have home advantage. They have a solid team and a good manager in Mark Warburton. Sunderland have been in League One for a number of years now without being able to gain promotion and I feel at the moment, it is Rangers who are the stronger of the two teams and who are likely to earn the victory here.
Our Prediction – Queens Park Rangers 3-1 Sunderland – 12/1
Wednesday 27th October
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Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur
Burnley have had a few problems this season picking up wins in the Premier League and it is
difficult to see them picking up a win here against a Spurs side that have got back to winning form over the last couple of weeks. I do feel Spurs will play a weakened side for this game, but not one as weak as they played in the Conference League last week. As such, I feel these teams will initially be well matched and I can see this game being taken into a penalty shootout to decide the winner, but by then I think Spurs will have their better players on the field and that this will be the deciding factor in the London side making it through to the quarterfinals.
Our Prediction – Burnley 1-1 Tottenham – 11/2 (Spurs to win on penalties – 5/1)
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Leicester City v Brighton
Both these teams will know the value of a good cup run, especially Leicester after their FA Cup win and Community Shield success this season. Brighton lie in a higher position in the league, but after being mauled 4-1 at home by Manchester City at the weekend, I think their confidence will have taken a hit here. Leicester have found some great form with superb wins over Man Utd and Brentford in the last couple of weeks and I fancy them, even with a few first team players rested for this game, to have too much for Brighton and claim the victory.
Our Prediction – Leicester City 2-0 Brighton – 9/1
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Preston North End v Liverpool
A cautionary warning for Championship side Preston is that Liverpool have scored ten goals in their last two away games, including a 5-0 win at Old Trafford last weekend against Manchester United. There is no doubt Jurgen Klopp will likely give his first team players a rest this week, but some will start against Preston and in truth, that should be more than enough for Liverpool to claim the win. Preston are a decent side, but they are nowhere near even a second string Liverpool class and given the form Liverpool are showing at the moment, even their second string team has played superbly well in this competition, it is hard to see past another win for the Reds here.
Our Prediction – Preston North End 0-3 Liverpool – 17/2
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Stoke City v Brentford
Brentford may have lost at the weekend to Leicester City, but that doesn’t disguise the fact that
they have had a superb start to the season in the Premier League in general. Stoke have improved under Michael O’Neill but they are still a little off the pace being set at the top of the table in the Championship and as such, even though they are the home side here, I think they are the underdogs. I can’t see Brentford naming a full strength team, but it will be close to it and while Stoke are good enough to push them hard, I still feel the Bees will be too strong, although it may well take penalties to decide the winner.
Our Prediction – Stoke City 1-1 Brentford – 11/2 (Brentford to win on penalties – 5/1)
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West Ham United v Manchester City
West Ham’s reward for beating Manchester United at Old Trafford in the last round was a home game against Manchester City, so the Hammers have not had it easy in this competition. City were strong winners at Brighton at the weekend and while they will rotate players, it will still be a very strong City side that takes to the field for this game. The Hammers will need to be at their very best for this game and it is hard to see them winning it, but I do feel there is a chance they could take the game to penalties and after that, it is a lottery and one that maybe the Hammers could win in a shock victory.
Our Prediction – Draw – 7/2 (West Ham to win on penalties – 8/1)
*All odds shown were correct with bet365 Sport as of 9.45am on Monday 25th October 2021.
