EFL Cup

Liverpool will take a different team to Carrow Road for Tuesday’s EFL Cup clash than when winning here 3-0 in their Premier League opener. However, the Reds are expected to have enough strength in depth to come through this tie against the struggling Canaries.

Man Utd and West Ham face a quick EFL Cup rematch following Sunday’s dramatic Premier League victory for the Red Devils. Both managers are expected to make plenty of changes for this competition and it is hard not to think that will favour Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Arsenal are reeling on the ropes after a poor start in the Premier League and West Brom will be hoping to land a knockout blow in their EFL Cup clash. Mikel Arteta has been hampered by illness problems, plus he will have one eye on Saturday’s early kick-off at Man City.

Barrow will be fired up for their big EFL Cup clash with Aston Villa but Dean Smith does tend to take these kinds of ties seriously. Villa reached the final two seasons ago and breezed through trips to Burton and Bristol City in the early rounds last term.

There is a bit of extra spice associated with Derby’s EFL Cup tie against Salford due to links between former Man Utd teammates. Rams head coach Wayne Rooney will be keen to avoid an upset versus City, who are part-owned by the likes of Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

Orient will have home advantage and past history on their side when trying to upset QPR in Wednesday’s televised EFL Cup tie. The O’s beat Rangers in this competition back in 2002 and 2007 and are rated a value bet to complete the hat-trick at Breyer Group Stadium.

Manchester City are expected to wrap up a fourth straight EFL Cup triumph when taking on Tottenham at Wembley. Spurs will have interim manager Ryan Mason in charge and the rookie boss may not be ready for the challenge of facing Pep Guardiola, especially with Harry Kane a fitness doubt.

Manchester United have a decent record in recent derby clashes but are hard to fancy when facing City at Etihad Stadium this weekend. The Red Devils are coming off three drab goalless draws, whereas their neighbours are on the crest of a wave following 21 straight wins in all competitions.

Brentford have beaten four Premier League teams in the EFL Cup but may struggle to get past a determined Tottenham outfit in Tuesday’s semi-final. Spurs have a clear edge in quality and Jose Mourinho always takes this competition seriously, having lifted the trophy with Chelsea and Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho has a great record in the EFL Cup and that makes Tottenham hard to oppose when they visit Stoke in this season’s quarter-finals. The Spurs boss lifted this trophy three times during two stints with Chelsea and again prevailed while in charge of Manchester United.

Brentford will hope to take advantage of Newcastle’s recent virus issues when these teams meet in the EFL Cup quarter-finals. The Bees have already knocked out three Premier League teams and have been in fine form in the Championship of late, so this contest comes at a good time for them.

Brentford have a score to settle with Fulham following August’s play-off final loss and are fancied to win Thursday’s EFL Cup clash. The Bees obliged in both regular-season meetings in the Championship last term and have already knocked two Premier League teams out of this competition.

Steve Bruce has made no secret of his desire to do well in the EFL Cup so it will be disappointing if Newcastle can’t brush aside Newport in round four. County have enjoyed some good cup runs in recent years, but they were aided by a poor Rodney Parade pitch and vociferous home support.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has not taken the EFL Cup too seriously in the past but would no doubt like to get past Lincoln this week. The Reds have a number of new recruits and fringe squad members who should benefit from some playing time in this competition ahead of bigger tests.