Carabao Cup: Free betting tips and match previews for third round games on Wednesday September 23
The Carabao Cup continues on Wednesday and Tom Carnduff picks out three best bets including the televised fixture between Fleetwood and Everton.
Recommended bets
1pt Preston to beat Brighton in 90 minutes at 21/10
1pt Everton to have 22+ total shots v Fleetwood at 11/2
1pt Anthony Gordon to have 4+ total shots v Fleetwood at 13/8
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Preston v Brighton
- 19:00 BST
The Carabao Cup is of differing importance to Premier League clubs, and based on Brighton's selection in their three games in this competition under Graham Potter, we can place the Seagulls at the lower-end of that scale.
Potter made a number of changes in the last round but it was enough for a comfortable victory over Portsmouth. This time around, against a Preston side likely to field something that closer resembles their starting XI, the Sky Bet Championship side can upset the odds at a best price of 21/10.
Ali Jahanbakhsh, Pascal Gross and Alexis Mac Allister are solid attacking midfield options and that trio will probably occupy the attacking positions here but Dale Stephens' likely move to Burnley means that one less option to play the deeper position behind them.
Given their limited options up front and the first team involvement for Aaron Connolly and Neal Maupay, Viktor Gyokeres is likely to get the striker role again in this competition but the overall side could be one that resembles the amount of changes as they were beaten 3-1 by Aston Villa at this stage last season.
Preston may have a few absentees of their own combined with resting a couple of their usual league starters but they will likely place those players on the bench, giving them further options to choose from later in the game. For Brighton's win over Pompey, six of their seven substitutes had a squad number greater than 40; that demonstrates what a youthful bench they went with.
Brighton had a good victory over Newcastle on Sunday and they face Manchester United in Saturday's early kick-off in the Premier League. Given United's poor performance against Crystal Palace, the Seagulls will view it as a game that they can get something out of and the importance will surely be placed on that as opposed to a cup contest against Preston.
The winner of this tie will face either Luton or Manchester United at home in the next round. At a generous price when you factor in the high number of changes we will see, it's worth betting that the venue of that fixture will be Deepdale.
Fleetwood v Everton
- 19:45 BST on Sky Sports Football
Everton have enjoyed a fantastic start to the season under Carlo Ancelotti and some fans will be eyeing up the 12/1 available on the Toffees to win the Carabao Cup following the good return of early results.
They were comfortable as they dispatched Salford in the last round, that's despite a number of changes, and another contest against lower league opposition sees them taking odds-on favouritism to progress. With a potential encounter against West Ham or Hull in the next round, there's every chance they can continue their route through the competition.
A stand-out element of that win against Salford was the amount of shots posted by a second-string Everton side. They had a huge 32 and despite it being against a League Two side it remains an impressive statistic that could put them in a good position here.
Fleetwood are no pushovers and have a strong case for promotion but they are still targeting additions in the transfer market. They have some talented young players, but when it comes to their side and the likely XI we will see from Everton, the visitors have the strongest chance of progression.
Fleetwood will try to enjoy more of the ball but the 11/2 available on Everton having 22 or more total shots in this contest is intriguing, particularly when you factor in how many came in that last round. Considering the hosts' 4-5-1/4-2-3-1 formation, the preference may well be to sit a little deeper and look to hit their opponents as they push for a goal themselves.
Anthony Gordon grabbed two assists in the last round but of Everton's 32 shots, the winger had eight of them and struck the woodwork. It was a really positive performance and the 19-year-old should have done enough there to earn another start at Fleetwood.
If Everton are to have another high shot count it's worth looking at Gordon to be among them once again. Sky Bet have a price of 13/8 that he has four or more total shots in the contest, half his amount from the last round, and he is likely to be heavily involved in the attacks as Everton look for a repeat performance.
The visitors are 2/5 for victory here which is hard to disagree with. Those seeking out an outright market to back should look at Everton -1 which goes slightly odds-against with some bookmakers. The real value comes in calling the shots though and backing another solid performance from the Toffees.
Best bet: Everton to have 22+ total shots v Fleetwood at 11/2
Odds correct at 1100 BST (22/09/20)
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