Carabao Cup Betting Tips: West Ham and Aston Villa to avoid upset?
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The second round of the Carabao Cup kicks off tonight with sixteen games to enjoy as clubs from across the Football League begin their quest for the first domestic silverware of the campaign.
A handful of Premier League sides will also be in the hat looking to avoid a cup upset against lower league opposition with the likes of Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa likely to rotate their squads.
We have picked out a selection of games to keep tabs on tonight with a couple of juicy contests lined up…
Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers (Tue, 20:30)
Morecambe or Oldham Athletic await the winner in the third round and both sides will fancy their chances of coming away from St. James’ Park with a win.
The Magpies will be desperate for a cup run this season after being eliminated at this stage of the competition three times in a row – twice to Nottingham Forest and to Leicester City last season.
Steve Bruce’s side are 7/10 favourites to win the tie with both teams to score priced at 3/4. Bruce strengthened his squad in the summer and new-boy Ryan Fraser is expected to make his debut.
Joelinton and Miguel Almiron will also be pushing for a place in the starting XI. Joelinton is 5/1 to score first with Andy Carroll 13/8 to score during 90 minutes.
Blackburn beat Doncaster 3-2 in the Carabao Cup first round and they are 19/5 to add a Premier League scalp to their collection tonight. Former Magpies striker Adam Armstrong scored the winner in the last round and he is 9/4 to score anytime for the Championship outfit.
West Ham United v Charlton Athletic (Tue, 20:30)
Given the quick turnaround in matches, with a trip to Arsenal to come next weekend, David Moyes will likely heavily rotate his squad for this cup tie, despite starting as 1/3 favourites.
Sebastian Haller was a substitute against Newcastle at the weekend and should be brought into the side on Tuesday. The striker is 10/11 to score anytime with the Hammers to win to nil 21/20.
The Addicks make the short trip to London Stadium are 9/1 to win having only reached the third round of the competition once in the last twelve attempts.
West Ham were beaten by Oxford United in last season’s competition under Manuel Pellegrini and the Irons will want to avoid a repeat upset on home soil.
Promotion back to the Championship will be Charlton’s target this season, but they could still cause West Ham plenty of problems in the cup with a weakened home team expected.
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (Tue, 20:45)
This would have been a Premier League fixture last season, but fast forward the clock and Jason Tindall is on a rebuilding mission on the south coast following their relegation.
A close game is expected, but Roy Hodgson’s side are favourites with the Eagles 27/20 to pick off the Cherries (2/1). A draw is 23/10.
Both sides got their domestic campaigns off to winning starts and will be keen to build momentum with a Carabao Cup run. Both teams to score is 4/6 with over 2.5 goals 20/23.
Michy Batshuayi is expected to feature for Palace and the Chelsea loanee is 4/1 to break the deadlock. His Belgian teammate Christian Benteke is also 9/4 to score anytime.
For Bournemouth, Dominic Solanke is their main goalscoring threat and is 11/5 to find the net anytime.
The winner of this clash will face reigning champions Manchester City in the next round, who are the 3/1 favourites to lift the trophy.
Burton Albion v Aston Villa (Tue, 20:45)
Last season’s finalists begin their Carabao Cup campaign against third-tier opponents, Burton Albion.
Dean Smith is likely to include some of his star players ahead of their first game of the Premier League season against Sheffield United at the weekend. New signing Ollie Watkins is 4/1 to score two or more for Villa, who are 2/5 to win at the Pirelli Stadium.
New signing Matty Cash could also feature for Villa following his move from Nottingham Forest. Villa are 23/10 to win both halves with a clean sheet Evens.
Burton beat Villa 1-0 at this stage of the tournament two seasons ago and they are 7/1 underdogs to win tonight. Albion are 12/1 to win to nil and reach round three.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.
