The big teams in English football often see the League Cup as something of a nuisance but try telling that to Carlisle and Walsall fans who get ready to see their sides face Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
Also worth a look are the Second City and north London derbies and it looks set to be a good week of football with plenty of drama and plenty of goals.
Tuesday 22nd September
- Leicester City v West Ham (7/10 with Ladbrokes) – Leicester have been on fire so far this year and they are one of the form sides in the Premier League having scored plenty of goals. However, they are yet to keep a clean sheet this season and we fancy an exciting Hammers side to cause the Foxes problems with the likes of Dmitri Payet in fine form so far this year.
- Newcastle United v Sheffield Wednesday (3/4 with Ladbrokes) – Neither of these two sides have had a great start to the year but we think that Wednesday will grab a goal against a struggling Newcastle defence. However, Newcastle should have enough about them to score against a side marooned in the bottom half of the Championship.
- Aston Villa v Birmingham City (4/5 with Betfred) – These two rivals haven’t met since 2011 and we fancy there to be plenty of goals as old scores are settled. The Blues have looked good this season and they have the potential to cause Villa plenty of problems and they will be really fired up for this one.
- Reading v Everton (17/20 with BetVictor) – Barnsley gave Everton a real fright in the last round of this competition and if Reading can get at their opponents then they may get some joy. That said, the Toffees have looked very good going forwards and it would be a big surprise if they were unable to get on the scoresheet on Tuesday.
- Preston North End v Bournemouth (4/5 with Ladbrokes) – Eddie Howe will likely be more focused on preserving his side’s Premier League status rather than a cup run so expect changes in the Cherries side. That may well suit Preston who have struggled of late and this one could be a really close game.
Wednesday 23rd September
- Walsall v Chelsea (evens with Sky Bet) – Chelsea’s Champions League win against Maccabi Tel Aviv saw them pick up their first clean sheet of the season however we’re backing Walsall to grab a goal against the worst defence in the Premier League. At the other ned however, Chelsea should have too much quality for the League 1 side.
- Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal (4/6 with Bet365) – This one has got goals written all over it as Tottenham host Arsenal in the north London derby. Both sides regularly hit the back of the net in this fixture and with squad rotation likely, we’d be surprised if this game saw a clean sheet kept.