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 Wednesday’s EFL Cup betting tips:
Arsenal vs Doncaster (Wednesday, 7:45pm)
The Gunners battled to a decent point at Chelsea on Sunday, and their spirits will have been lifted in a week in which they also handsomely beat Bournemouth and FC Koln.
Arsene Wenger enjoys the cups – it’s his best chance of saving his job these days – and so we don’t expect him to make wholesale changes to his side, save for a few youngsters and, quite probably, Olivier Giroud starting ahead of Alexandre Lacazette.
Doncaster have lost four of their last five in League 1, and while this is something of a ‘free hit’ game for them they will still want to avoid a heavy defeat. But their inability to keep clean sheets will be taken advantage of by Arsenal, and we have a sneaky feeling that Giroud might just be the chief beneficiary.
Recommended Bet
Olivier Giroud to Score 2+ (2/1 with Betfred)
Everton vs Sunderland (Wednesday, 7:45pm)
Another game, another abject display from Everton. They have now failed to score in their last Premier League and Europa League outings, losing the lot with a goal difference of -12.
On any other day we might just fancy Sunderland then, but they are pretty poor as well in all truth. The Black Cats have managed just nine shots on target in their last five outings – is it any wonder they have only scored twice in that time?
Two misfiring attacks meet head-on….we simply have to back the ‘unders’ here.
Recommended Bet
Under 2.5 Goals (6/5 with bet365)
West Brom vs Manchester City (Wednesday, 8pm)
Despite the magnificence of his players in recent weeks, Pep Guardiola will surely ring the changes here. The EFL Cup is rather low on his list of priorities, and the likes of Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne will surely be spared the indignity of the trip to the Hawthorns with bigger fish to fry in the coming weeks.
The likes of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling will surely start, and while players of that calibre are good enough to grace any stage, their lack of first team minutes this term may lead to a disjointed attacking performance.
In contrast, Tony Pulis may just be tempted to pick his strongest eleven in punishment of another tawdry display at the weekend. For the second time in just five outings, his side manged to record just a single shot on target inside 90 minutes.
The Baggies’ defensive record is excellent mind, and that may lend itself to a tighter-than-expected scrap here.
Recommended Bet
West Brom +1.00 Asian Handicap (67/40 with bet365)
