EFL Cup Tipsheet: Predictions and tips for Wednesday's five matches | OneFootball

There are five EFL Cup fixtures taking place on Wednesday night

There's another batch of EFL Cup matches taking place on Wednesday night, and Jack Critchley has used the Betfair Sportsbook to pick out his best bets from each of the fourth round fixtures...

Wolves vs Chelsea - Two poor defences meet at Molineux

Wednesday, 19:45, Live on the Sky Sports App+

Wolves' last Premier League victory came on April 26th vs Leicester, with their only wins in the last six months coming in this competition. The EFL Cup may not be high on the priority list of many fans, yet it has given the fans something to cheer. They've been drawn against two top-flight sides so far, beating Everton and Burnley, and another Premier League side awaits on Wednesday night.

Vitor Pereira is clinging on to his job, yet the Portuguese doesn't have a particularly strong squad to work with. The hosts were the better side on Sunday at home to Burnley, yet they somehow conspired to concede a late goal, extending their winless top-flight sequence to 12. Their PL performances haven't been horrendous, with six other sides having taken fewer shots on target, and they have managed to net in each of their last four home fixtures.

Pereira played a very strong XI in the previous round of the competition, despite making nine changes; however, some of those players has subsequently established themselves in the first team squad.

It's been a hectic period for Chelsea with Enzo Maresca's side competing in the EFL Cup, Champions League and Premier League, having also gone all the way in this summer's Club World Cup. It's an unsurprising development to see that injury issues have hampered the Blues in recent weeks with long-term absentees Levi Colwell, Liam Delap and Cole Palmer seriously weakening their XI. They've been joined by Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez, whilst Moises Caicedo is also nursing a knock.

That paves the way for Jamie Gittens, Tyrique George and Estavao to potentially start this one. Chelsea's defence has been far from watertight recently, and they've kept just a single PL clean sheet since August 30th. They also conceded to ten-man Ajax in the UCL. They cannot be relied upon to keep a clean sheet, and this could be an entertaining and error-strewn encounter.

Arsenal vs Brighton - Gunners to prevail at the Emirates

Wednesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Arsenal have looked unstoppable for several weeks now. The Gunners have hit top gear across all competitions, although the next few weeks will be a test for Mikel Arteta's side with injuries beginning to take their toll. William Saliba and Declan Rice's injuries, coupled with the doubt over Gabriel Martinelli will give the Spaniard fewer options when it comes to rotating his squad, and that may limit the number of changes he is able to make for this midweek match.

Nevertheless, the Gunners boss is clearly taking this seriously, as he played a strong XI against League One Port Vale in the previous round, beating the Valiants 2-0 and restricting them to just three efforts, all of which were off target. This isn't likely to be as straightforward for the hosts, although they are favourites to progress.

Brighton have won each of their first two EFL Cup ties by a 6-0 scoreline. The Seagulls dismantled EFL opposition on those occasions, with Diego Gomes stealing the show. They won't find it as easy here and their away form in the PL has been fairly suspect, with just one victory on their travels so far. Fabian Hurzeler has shown that he's willing to make changes, and I expect the club's deep talent pool to showcase some future top-flight regulars here. They should play their part in an entertaining contest, although I don't expect them to cause a shock.

Swansea vs Manchester City - Pep's side to ease past Championship hosts

Wednesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Swansea boss Alan Sheehan has started to come under fire despite his side making a decent start to the campaign. Performances have dropped off as expectation levels have risen following a summer splurge. Their 2-1 victory over Norwich at the weekend was their first home success since the end of August, with the Swans taking full advantage of their out-of-sorts visitors. That success may have united the dressing room, however, recent performances have lacked energy and fans are starting to get a bit restless.

Sheehan is a rookie coach, and it remains to be seen if he can turn the ship around in the coming weeks. He will view this as a bit of a free hit with the hosts not expected to lay a glove on their illustrious visitors. Changes have been made for the previous rounds of the competition, where they were taken to penalties by Plymouth and left it late to beat Nottingham Forest, yet he may opt for a stronger XI on Wednesday.

Zan Vipotnik has been the bright spark in the line-up, having already superceded last season's total and he will be the biggest danger for the home side, if he's given a start.

Manchester City were defeated on Sunday afternoon, despite creating enough chances to take something from the game. Pep rotated considerably for their straightforward success over Huddersfield in the previous round of the EFL Cup, and he is unlikely to risk Erling Haaland, who collided with the post at Villa Park. Nevertheless, there are plenty of able deputies waiting in the wings with Jeremy Doku, Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis and even Reigan Heskey likely to get some minutes.

City should have too much quality for the hosts, although they will not be handed this on a plate. They will have to battle, but the difference in class is likely to show through eventually. They didn't allow Huddersfield to have a shot on target in the previous round of the competition and they may be able to restrict their hosts for large periods of this game too.

Liverpool vs Crystal Palace - Eagles to continue to trouble out-of-sorts Reds

Wednesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports Football

Liverpool must be sick of the sight of Crystal Palace. They were beaten on penalties by the Eagles in the Community Shield and then suffered late heartbreak at Selhurst Park in the Premier League at the end of September. This is far from an ideal fixture for Arne Slot, who has come under increased scrutiny in the last few weeks with the Reds failing to take a single point from their last four Premier League ties. Admittedly, only one of those defeats was at Anfield, where they are traditionally stronger, however, something is clearly not right, and the defence has looked disjointed and calamitous all season so far.

Palace will sense an opportunity to heap further misery on the Dutchman and quieten the home crowd on Wednesday night. They've managed just two clean sheets in 14, and a price of 4/7 for BTTS reflects the chaotic nature of their games this season. Slot is likely to make changes here with Calvin Ramsey potentially set to be involved, alongside Federico Chiesa and youngster Trey Nyoni, who featured against Southampton in the previous round of the competition.

Oliver Glasner has already proven his liking and aptitude for cup competitions, and he will see this as an opportunity to further enhance his reputation as a top-level coach. He has tended to name strong XIs in cup competitions, although the Thursday-Sunday-Wednesday schedule this week may force his hand. Eddie Nketiah, Romaine Esse and Jefferson Lerma should all start for the Eagles, who simply cannot be written off.

Newcastle vs Spurs - Barnes to bag at St. James' Park

Wednesday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports Main Event

Newcastle have made a solid start to the season across all competitions. Eddie Howe's men left it late against Fulham on Saturday afternoon, although they were deserving of all three points. They were also good value for their victory over Benfica here last week and this is a third successive fixture at St. James Park, which has surely helped with preparations.

They were completely dominant in their previous fixture, taking apart Bradford with Will Osula playing a starring role. Harvey Barnes also featured in that game, and although he didn't get on the scoresheet, he looked sharp and played his part in a deserved success. This could be Barnes' time to shine. He is likely to get the nod from Howe for this game and having once been linked with a move to Spurs, he could show them what they're missing.

Spurs were impressive at the weekend, yet this is a third successive away game in the space of seven days and that has surely got to take its toll. Thomas Frank will make changes for this game, although the Dane would regularly field weaker teams during his tenure at Brentford. There are plenty of injury issues at the club and with the games coming thick and fast, Frank may be forced to turn to fringe players and 16-year-old Junai Byfield, who made the bench at the weekend.

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