Unfortunately, quite a few managers aren’t of the same mindset, and plenty choose to make a number of changes to their starting line-ups in order to rest weary legs and give fringe players a chance.
Consequently, the EFL Cup can be a great competition for punters. We have two choices: 1) wait for the team news to be announced before placing our bets, or 2) try and second-guess where weakened teams will be played, and take advantage of the early betting value accordingly.
We prefer to adopt the latter method, so join us as we dive in to this Tuesday’s EFL Cup betting tips:
Brentford vs Norwich (Tuesday, 7:45pm)
Brentford are still waiting for their first win of the 2017/18 season, and while they have only lost 50% of their outings to date the Bees will be looking to get that monkey off their back sooner rather than later.
But they’ve drawn each of their last three home matches, and the shot data suggests they have enjoyed supremacy in five of their last seven outings, so we’re not ready to give up on Dean Smith’s side just yet.
Norwich are not blowing opponents away at present, and in fact they’ve scored just two goals in their last 270 minutes of Championship football. But they have kept three straight clean sheets in that time, which tells its own story about their approach to the game.
In games perceived as ‘meaningless’ in some quarters, we have to hand favouritism to the hosts in front of their own supporters, and Brentford are an excellent price here.
Recommended Bet
Brentford to Win (7/5 with Paddy Power)
Bristol City vs Stoke City (Tuesday, 7:45pm)
You might think that the EFL Cup is the perfect competition through which Stoke, perennial Premier League mid-tablers, might actually challenge for some silverware.
But we suspect boss Mark Hughes might be tempted to make some changes to his starting eleven given that his team hosts Chelsea at the weekend.
Bristol City blew Derby County away on Saturday, and there aren’t many teams that do that. The Robins’ 4-1 win means they have now scored 15 Championship goals – more than any other side in the division.
They will surely smell an upset here, and while Stoke’s second string will put up a fight we’re happy to be on the Bristolians at this sort of price.
Recommended Bet
Bristol City to Win (11/4 with BetFred)
Leicester City vs Liverpool (Tuesday, 7:45pm)
After a hectic schedule in which his players have been involved in Premier League, Champions League and international football in the past few weeks, Jurgen Klopp will surely make changes to his Liverpool side here.
That may mean a first start of the campaign for Philippe Coutinho, while the likes of Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, James Milner and Dominic Solanke may also get the nod from the start.
But instinct tells us that Craig Shakespeare won’t rotate his Leicester side too much, with Kelechi Iheanacho and Vicente Iborra getting some much-needed game time.
We like the Foxes at home, and it wasn’t so long ago that they were defeating Liverpool by a handsome margin on home soil in Shakespeare’s first game in charge.
Recommended Bet
Leicester to Win (2/1 with Betfair)
