The Carabao Cup continues on Wednesday and Jake Pearson has picked out two best bets from across the third round action.
Football betting tips: Carabao Cup
1.5pts 30+ booking points in Manchester United v West Ham at Evens (Sky Bet)
1.5pts Leicester to beat Millwall at 19/20 (Sky Bet)
Manchester United v West Ham tips
- Kick-off: 19:45 BST
- TV Channel: Sky Sports Football
- Man Utd 1/2 | Draw 29/10 | West Ham 5/1
Manchester United face West Ham just three days after their dramatic meeting in the Premier League.
After taking the lead the Hammers were pegged back at the London Stadium, a Jesse Lingard goal putting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men 2-1 up against the side he spent last season on loan with, before a last-minute penalty was missed by Mark Noble, who had been brought on to take the spot kick.
Barely any time has passed to catch a breath before these two meet again at Old Trafford, and while revenge may be in the minds of West Ham, it could be a very different looking team that takes to the field than the one that left it on Sunday.
West Ham have a winnable fixture against Leeds coming up at the weekend, before hosting Rapid Vienna in their first home European group stage tie on Thursday. This game must play second, and maybe third, fiddle.
Manchester United face a tough game at home to Aston Villa before a hugely difficult Champions League tie against a Villarreal team that beat them in the Europa League final last term. Again, this Carabao Cup tie is not their highest priority.
It is difficult to predict exactly what sort of team either will field, which makes betting in the 1X2 market relatively unappealing.
With fringe players coming into the team however, there will be a desire to do well, to earn a spot in the starting eleven, and that could add a bit of needle to the match.
Couple that with the overspill from the weekend – Mark Noble if he starts one in particular to keep an eye on in terms of ill-discipline – and this could turn into a very tasty tie indeed.
The standout price of even money with Sky Bet about 30+ BOOKING POINTS makes plenty of appeal and is a confident selection, though the 9/4 about 40+ booking points also catches the eye if you are looking for a slightly bigger price.
Score prediction: Manchester United 2-1 West Ham (Sky Bet odds: 15/2)
Millwall v Leicester tips
- Kick-off: 19:45 BST
- Millwall 5/2 | Draw 5/2 | Leicester 19/20
Neither Millwall nor Leicester have made the start to the season they would have been hoping for, the Lions sitting in 18th position in the Sky Bet Championship, having won just one of their opening eight fixtures, while the Foxes have only won two of their opening five, leaving them in 12th place.
Millwall have a crucial fixture away at Championship bottom side Nottingham Forest at the weekend, and that will likely take priority for Gary Rowett.
The Lions do not have a good record in this competition either, not making it past the third round since 1994/95, and in fact they have been knocked out before this stage in each of the last two campaigns.
Leicester may have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup at this stage last season, but that was against Arsenal, and actually, prior to that season, Leicester’s recent record in this tournament reads quarter-finalists, quarter-finalists, semi-finalists.
Indeed, Leicester do tend to take cup competitions seriously, making the quarter-final stage or better in each of their last eight domestic cup appearances, including of course their FA Cup victory last season.
Brendan Rogers will likely make changes, with a tough game at home to Burnley at the weekend followed by a trip to Poland to face Legia Warszawa next week, but they should still have enough quality on show to fend off Millwall, and a price of 19/20 for a LEICESTER WIN is worth backing.
Score prediction: Millwall 1-3 Leicester (Sky Bet odds: 14/1)
Odds correct at 1635 BST (20/09/21)
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