the efl cup returns to focus this week, as the competition hits the last 16 stage. there are quarter final spots up for grabs this week, as teams jostle for the first silverware of the season. ahead of this week’s cup action, we’ve picked out a few betting tips for you to take a look at. we’ve previewed three of the biggest matches this week, which you can see below.
the eye-catching story of this competition so far has to be bristol city, who have been excellent in their run to the last 16. after starting off with a 5-0 win over plymouth argyle, the robins have won at watford and dumped out stoke. those two wins have both been comfortable victories against premier league opposition, and they’ve been part of a great run of form which has taken bristol city up to fourth place in the championship. they’re only a few places off crystal palace in the league pyramid, so can they dump out the eagles and claim another premier league scalp?
given how crystal palace have been playing of late, it’s easy to back against the eagles. you’ve got to imagine that all the pressure is on palace in this game, while the premier league side will be more concerned about staying up that playing in the cup. it’s hard to justify backing them in this clash, especially with the hosts in much better form and with some big results under their belt already.
we’re backing a home win in this game, which is priced at 31/20 with betvictor. we’re also going for a slightly bigger bet in this one, with bristol city to win and both teams to score available at 7/2 with betfred. that seems like an excellent price, as we can see the visitors getting a goal in this trip. given how poor palace are at the back and the ay bristol city push forward, we can see a high scoring clash between this pair.
before you back anything in this week’s efl cup offering, you should take a look at our odds comparison. it takes a wide range of bookmakers and compares all the available prices on each game, ensuring you get the best betting odds for your predictions. no one wants to miss out on the best available price, so odds comparison is an invaluable tool ahead of placing any bet.
leicester city v leeds: can leicester save their season with a cup run?
leicester have dispensed with craig shakespeare, but he picked up an impressive win over liverpool for the foxes in the last round of the efl cup. they’re now through to the last 16 of a competition that they were brilliant in under martin o’neill. the foxes are expected to make it in to the next round this week when they host leeds, but could we see an upset given the turmoil surrounding the king power?
leeds made it in to this round after drawing 2-2 with burnley at turf moor last time out, which is a tough trip for a championship team. leeds will have little pressure on them as they head to the 2016 premier league champions, and we can see another few goals in this clash. the hosts have looked below par at the back in recent weeks, so there’s certainly value in backing both teams to score at 4/5 with coral in this one.
we’re also going for these two to head to extra time, with leicester struggling for victories at the minute. we don’t think their sacking of shakespeare is going to turn their fortunes around all of a sudden, and that decision could actually give leeds an opening in this one. we’re going for a draw between the pair with both sides scoring, which is priced at 9/2 with bet365.
chelsea v everton: troubled everton head to stamford bridge
the highlight of the round sees everton heading to stamford bridge on wednesday night, with the toffees in dire need of a result. having fallen apart in the league and after taking one point from their three europa league group matches, everton are in trouble. their big summer spend isn’t paying off quite yet, but can they kick-off a league cup run by seeing off champions chelsea?
the blues aren’t likely to make this trophy a priority, with boss antonio conte likely to rotate his side ahead of the clash with everton. however, the champions don’t have the strength in depth of some of their rivals, which leaves them limited in terms of changes. we see a weakened defence taking the field for the hosts, which should give everton an opportunity to cause some damage in this trip.
the blues should score against everton, with the visitors claiming one clean sheet since mid-august. the hosts do have a few options in attack, so they should have enough quality to score a few goals. however, their problems are at the back, as seen by the fact that they’ve conceded in every efl cup game under conte. that includes wins over the likes of bristol rovers and nottingham forest, which makes us confident the visitors will score here. we’re backing btts in this one, which is great value at 4/5 with betvictor.
don’t forget to use our odds comparison before following our betting tips or your own predictions. after all, we research form ahead of bets to give us the best chance of a return, so why not do some easy bookmaker research too? it’s simple to check where you can find the best betting odds for your next bet, and that could lead to a real improvement in the returns.