EFL Cup Predictions > Sep 21st & 22nd

[StevieDay1983]

Check out the latest odds for the EFL Cup 3rd Round matches coming up this week. A lot to consider so keen to hear your thoughts. 

[DarrenTse]

Norwich City vs Liverpool

Tuesday,Sep 21 2021 14:45

Norwich City 

Norwich City return to the Premier League has not gone to plan at all as they opened the They've slipped, stumbled and sit bottom of the table after five consecutive defeats. In their previous game, Norwich City suffered a 1-3 loss against Watford at home. Before that, they were defeated by Arsenal and Leicester City respectively. But Norwich City did at least manage to get a 6-0 thrashing of Bournemouth in the second round of the EFL Cup.

Liverpool

Liverpool have won five out of the six games they've played across all competitions this season and are yet to taste defeat - scoring at least two goals each time. Liverpool registered a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace over the weekend, which Mohamed Salah hit a century -- 100th of goals for the Anfield outfit. Before that, theyn gained a dramatic Champions League success over AC Milan, winning 3-2 in UEFA Champions League.

Prediction

Norwich City will fancy their chances as Liverpool are expected to make a lot of changes to their squad. But the confidence levels in the two camps could not be more contrasting. Therefore, expect Liverpool will take down their opponent.

 

 

1X2: 2

Final Results: 0-3, 1-3

 

[DarrenTse]

Manchester City vs Wycombe Wanderers

Tuesday,Sep 21 2021 14:45

Manchester City

Manchester City had beaten Norwich City, Arsenal and Leicester City in their previous three Premier League games before putting six past RB Leipzig in their Champions League opener. However, they come into this game on the back of a goalless draw against Southampton, which saw them climb to second in the Premier League table. Lifting each off the last four trophies, Manchester City have won this competition on eight occasions

Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe Wanderers were relegated from the Championship last term and are therefore again operating in League One. Wycombe Wanderers have made a solid start to the season, with a total of 14 points from seven matches leaving them in fifth position in the table. They come into this game on the back of a 2-1 win against Charlton in League One.

Prediction

This fixture represents a mismatch of the highest order. The Citizens are expected to not just dominate the fixture but dominate the scoreline as well. Manchester City are odds-on favorites to clinch this tie.

 

 

Manchester City to win with -3 AH

[DarrenTse]

Burnley vs Rochdale

Tuesday,Sep 21 2021 14:45

Burnley 

A record of one draw and four defeats from five matches has left Burnley with a single point, and they occupy 19th position in the table. Burnley picked up a draw against Leeds United before the international break but have lost their last two Premier League fixtures, going down 3-1 at Everton on September 13 before suffering a 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Saturday.

Rochdale

Rochdale got a draw in League Two last time out , which has left them in eighth position in the table. Rochdale were denied a fourth win on the bounce as they played out a 1-1 draw against Mansfield Town in the EFL League Two on Saturday. Rochdale were relegated from League One last term but they are unbeaten in their last seven games

Prediction

Rochdale face the stern test of taking on a significantly stronger Burnley side who will be looking to return to winning ways. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two sides, expect the hosts will claim the win and move into the next round of the cup competition.

 

 

Burnley to win with AH -1.5

Final Results: 2-0 

[DarrenTse]

Queens Park Rangers (QPR) vs Everton

Tuesday,Sep 21 2021 14:45

Queens Park Rangers (QPR)

Queens Park Rangers (QPR) have already advanced further this campaign than they did in the competition last season. They beat Leyton Orient on penalties in the first round after the game ended 1-1 in normal time. QPR then advanced from the second round with a 2-0 win over League One side Oxford United. However, They have failed to win any of their last three games.

Everton

Everton have been in brilliant form in their league assignments this season, with three wins and a draw in their first four games. Nevertheless, were handed their first defeat of the campaign against Aston Villa on Saturday as they lost 3-0. Everton joined the EFL Cup in the second round this season and were drawn against Championship side Huddersfield Town.

Prediction

Queens Park Rangers have not won any of their last three games in the EFL Championship, conceding seven goals in the process. Everton are the better team on paper and should pick up a win on Tuesday.

 

 

1X2 Pick: 2

Final Results: 1-3, 2-3

[malabgd]

Fulham vs Leeds United

2021-09-21T20:45+02:00

 

Fulham

Doubtful:

Out (injuries/other): Fabio Carvalho (5/3 m), Kenny Tete (4/0 d), Tom Cairney (0/0 m, captain), Terence Kongolo (0/0 d)

Suspended: -

 

Leeds United

Doubtful: Patrick Bamford (5/1 f), Adam Forshaw (0/0 m)

Out (injuries/other): Jack Harrison (4/0 m, Covid-19), Luke Ayling (5/1 d), Raphinha (5/2 f), Diego Llorente (2/0 d), Robin Koch (1/0 d)

Suspended: Pascal Struijk (4/0 d)

 

Daily updated injuries and suspensions information from more then 100 football leagues and competitions worldwide at: www.injuriesandsuspensions.com

[DarrenTse]

Manchester United VS West Ham United

Wednesday,Sep 22 2021 14:45

Manchester United

The fourth wins of five premier league games put Manchester United at the top of the table with Chelsea and Liverpool. Despite their goal difference gap at this early stage still lag behind Chelsea and Liverpool. They beat West Ham United 2-1 in the capital on Sunday, and Lingard scored the most important last goal after Cristiano Ronaldo equalised in the first game. The England international's effort in the 89th minute ended West Ham's unbeaten start to the league season.

 

West Ham United

After the first defeat of the season, West Ham United have only got two points in the past three Premier League matches and dropped to eighth place in the ranking. David Moyes, the former Manchester United coach, has now seen his team fail to win three games in the top league. West Ham have been unable to reach the fourth round in the EFL since the 2017-18 season. West Ham lost 2-1 at the weekend, representing their fourth consecutive loss to the Manchester United in various competitions.

Prediction

After Sunday's dramatic defeat, the visiting team will certainly be inspired by the idea of revenge. we can envisage an entertaining affair at Old Trafford and Manchester United is expected to be unbeaten.

 

 

1X2 Pick: 1X

Total: under 3.5 goals

[DarrenTse]

Chelsea VS Aston Villa

Wednesday,Sep 22 2021 14:45

Chelsea

After being appointed Chelsea's coach in January, Thomas Tuchel led Chelsea to win the Champions League and finished fourth in the Premier League last season. They entered Wednesday's Cup after beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 in the Premier League on Sunday. After the unbeaten start of the Premier League, they are likely to enter the new league with the hope of competing for the championship. At present, they are at the top of the list with 11 points in five games and concede only one goal in five games.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa enters the game after beating Everton 3-0 in the last Premier League. They currently ranks 10th in the Premier League. After the first loss to Watford, they rebounded in the 2-0 win over Newcastle United and was drawn by Brentford.

Prediction

In the recent league match between the two sides, Chelsea won a dominant victory, beating Villa 3-0. Tuchel certainly doesn't want to see their momentum slow down because of the defeat in the Cup. Even if a few key players are absent, they still have enough strength to win this game and enter the next round.

 

 

1X2 Pick: 1

Total: under 2.5/3 goals

[StevieDay1983]

Norwich vs Liverpool

The EFL Cup 3rd Round action kicks off on Tuesday night with a 7:45pm BST kick-off between Premier League sides Norwich and Liverpool at Carrow Road. The two sides have experienced contrasting starts to their league campaigns but in a competition where both teams are likely to make a number of changes can we expect to see a surprise result where the home side takes a shock win?

Norwich are in a dire position after 5 defeats from 5 league games in the Premier League. Daniel Farke's side were arguably expected to lose their first first fixtures against Liverpool, Manchester City, Leicester, and Arsenal but the 3-1 loss at home to fellow recently promoted side Watford on the weekend will have hit the team morale hard. The Canaries have had slightly more luck in this cup competition after smashing Championship team Bournemouth 6-0 in the 2nd Round. Farke made a number of changes for that game and he might feel the need to give some fringe players a chance to make a case for a league start here.

Liverpool have started this campaign with real intent. The Reds have won 4 and drawn 1 of their 5 league games so far which has seen them move joint top of the Premier League with Chelsea. Their only dropped points coming in that 1-1 draw with the London side. Jurgen Klopp's men have also shown they have the spirit for cup competitions too after securing a dramatic 3-2 win over Serie A club AC Milan in their opening group game in the Champions League. Liverpool suffered an early 4th Round exit from the competition last year after a 0-0 draw with Arsenal saw them eliminated on penalties. Klopp is expected to give a number of youngsters some game time so we could see a very unfamiliar Liverpool line-up in this one.

It's now 15 matches unbeaten for Liverpool in this fixtures. The last time Norwich tasted victory in this clash was back on 30th April, 1994. That was before Hristo Stoitchkov, Gheorge Hagi, and Tomas Brolin lit up the 1994 World Cup. Jeez. Anyway, I can't see Norwich getting the win here. Even if Liverpool played a full-on youth side I think their playing style will give Norwich too many issues.

Liverpool to Win & BTTS @ 3.10 with Bet365

Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 1.68 with Unibet

[StevieDay1983]

Watford vs Stoke

The second game I'm going to preview from the EFL Cup 3rd Round on Tuesday night is the match of Premier League club Watford versus Championship side Stoke in a 7:45pm BST kick-off at Vicarage Road. Both teams have had a mixed bag of results in their respective league campaigns so far but will be pleased to still be in the hat for this cup competition. Even so, it'll be interesting to see what line-ups both sides choose.

Watford started their league season in the best way possible by beating Aston Villa but that score was followed up by 3 straight league defeats to Brighton, Tottenham, and Wolves. The 3-1 win away to fellow newly promoted side Norwich in their most recent game will have certainly boosted morale. The 1-0 win at home to fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace in the 2nd Round of this competition will also have given them the self belief that they can go far in this competition. Despite suffering three defeats from their opening five league games, Watford have created the 10th highest number of clear cut scoring chances in the top flight so they are proving to be a dangerous attacking unit.

Stoke were tipped by many to be potential dark horses in the Championship this season and Michael O'Neill's men appear to be showing themselves as exactly that. The Potters are in 5th place after 4 wins, 2 draws, and 2 defeats from their opening 8 league matches. It's also been a successful story on the EFL Cup front with victories over League One sides Fleetwood Town and Doncaster in the previous rounds. Defence is still a concern for O'Neill with his team conceding in 3 of their 4 away games this season. You could perhaps argue it's more a midfield issue with Stoke conceding an average of 13 shots on their goal in those away matches this season. It is also just 1 win from their last 4 league matches.

I think this is one of those games where if a few factors go a certain way then we could well see an upset here. If Watford field a weakened side, Stoke turn up for it, and there is a bit of luck here and there then there's no reason Stoke can't win. However, I think Stoke are a little off their peak at the moment and that win on the weekend will have done Watford's self confidence the world of good. Hopefully, Xisco decides fielding his strongest line-up here is for the best and we see a solid home win.

Watford to Win @ 1.93 with SBK

BTTS @ 2.10 with Mansion Bet

[yossa6133]

Fulham at 11/5 might be interesting depending on the team selections.

EDIT: Or not! Fulham weak team, so no bet.

Edited September 21, 2021 by yossa6133

[StevieDay1983]

Manchester United vs West Ham

The EFL Cup 3rd Round action continues on Wednesday night and I'm previewing the all-Premier League clash at 7:45pm BST between Manchester United and West Ham at Old Trafford. These two sides only met on the weekend in the league and it was the hosts who prevailed as 2-1 winners on that occasion. Will we see a repeat of that score-line here or will the visiting side gain revenge?

Manchester United currently sit in 3rd place in the Premier League table but level on points will Liverpool and Chelsea above them but possessing an inferior goal difference. It's been an impressive start for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side on the domestic front with 4 wins and 1 draw from their opening 5 league matches. Unfortunately, their experience of cup competitions so far hasn't been quite as positive with the Red Devils suffering a 2-1 loss away to Swiss side Young Boys in their opening Champions League group stage game. The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have been a masterstroke with the Portuguese national team captain bagging 4 goals in his 3 matches so far but it's unlikely he'll start in this match.

West Ham will certainly be out for retribution after suffering that gut-wrenching home defeat against United on the weekend. The Hammers suffered their first defeat of the season in that game but it's now 3 league matches without a win with the club down in 8th in the league with 8 points from their 5 league games thus far. David Moyes saw his team his team win their opening two league games against Newcastle and Leicester scoring 4 goals in each game but the team have since failed to beat Crystal Palace, Southampton, and Manchester United. A 2-0 win away to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League offered a taste of victory again but this will be another tough test. It remains to be seen how strong a squad Moyes will field for this clash.

The head-to-head record doesn't make for pleasant reading for West Ham fans with Manchester United winning the last 4 meetings and only losing 2 of the last 13 encounters. West Ham have also failed to beat Manchester United over 90 minutes in the last 6 cup meetings and the last time they claimed a regular time win over United was on 30th November, 2010 with a 4-0 win at Upton Park. I'm not sure what sort of squad either side will field here but I can see United still prevailing victorious.

Manchester United to Win @ 1.65 with SBK

Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 1.73 with SpreadEx

[StevieDay1983]

Arsenal vs AFC Wimbledon

The final preview for the EFL Cup 3rd Round matches is the clash between Premier League club Arsenal and League One side AFC Wimbledon in a 7:45pm BST kick-off on Wednesday night from the Emirates Stadium. If you believe the papers and pundits then this game is already done and dusted but are we actually looking at a potential giant killing given the form of the home side?

Arsenal have not had the best of starts to their season and that's probably putting it mildly. The Gunners are down in 13th place having lost 3 of their opening 5 league matches of the season. However, Mikel Arteta's side have picked up 3 wins from their last 4 matches across all competitions including keeping 3 clean sheets in each of those victories. Scoring goals is still an issue for Arsenal with just 2 goals scored in 5 league matches but they did smash Championship side West Brom 6-0 away in the previous round of this competition so it feels like they have the potential to bang them in.

AFC Wimbledon might be the minnows in this game but everyone loves an underdog. Head coach Mark Robinson has led his team to 7th place in League One so far with 12 points from their 8 league games up to this point. The Dons have only lost 1 of their last 5 competitive games but that solitary defeat did come in a 1-0 loss at home to Plymouth this past weekend. AFC Wimbledon have already beaten Charlton and Northampton both by 1-0 score-lines to reach this stage of the competition so they have the ability to keep clean sheets. Those wins have been their only clean sheets of the season thus far though.

These two clubs have yet to meet in their current guises but Arsenal did play the old Wimbledon 28 times down the years. Wimbledon did only manage 1 win from the last 6 of those meetings but that was another time. Both of these clubs are in completely different places now but I still think we should see a comfortable home win. The question is whether you back Arsenal to put a load of goals on their opponents or can AFC Wimbledon's defence keep the Gunners at bay and keep the score-line low? I think Arsenal to win by 3 or 4 offers decent value.

Arsenal -2 @ 1.91 with Betfair

Total Goals Scored Under 3.5 @ 1.98 with SBK