Fleetwood Town v Rotherham United
I made the mistake of going against Fleetwood Town in the first round, but I am not going to do it this time around. They sprung a surprise last time out as they got the better of West Brom 2-1 at the Highbury Stadium. The Cod Army will be at home again on Tuesday night as they entertain Rotherham United.
Apart from two wins in cup competitions, Rotherham haven’t enjoyed a good start to the season, losing twice and drawing once from their three games in the league. All their positive results have come at home, and they seem to struggle on the road, so that’s something that could go against them here.
Fleetwood, on the other hand, have made an encouraging start to the season, especially at home, where they are yet to lose a game. The Fishermen are currently 9/4 to beat Rotherham, which doesn’t look bad value to me.
Selection: Fleetwood Town (9/4)
Middlesbrough v Stoke City
Middlesbrough have a habit of doing well in the Carabao Cup after they reached the semi-finals last season. The Boro have already made a good start to this campaign after they swept aside Leeds United 3-0 at Elland Road. On Tuesday tonight they return to the Riverside Stadium as they face Stoke City.
I thought Stoke City were going to kick on this season, and I believed they could have been a lively outsider to even challenge for the playoffs. Of course there is still plenty of time to turn things around, but I’ve been underwhelmed with the Potters from what I’ve seen so far. On the road, they’ve seemed to struggle, and their only win came when they beat Carlisle in the first round of this competition.
I think Boro’s manager Michael Carrick will want to have another good cup run this season, and I see them having too much for Stoke.
Selection: Middlesbrough (4/5)
Birmingham City v Fulham
Birmingham City have big expectations this season to get back into the Championship after their spending spree this summer. So far, things have been promising, as they sit fifth in the League One standings. Therefore, it will be interesting to see what kind of team they put out against Fulham. Will they want to rest a few players for the league, or will they want to put out a strong starting eleven against Premier League opposition? I think it will probably be a mixture of both, and it will be a good opportunity to see how far they’ve progressed in the opening weeks of the season.
Fulham fans, on the other hand, will want their team to have a good cup run and will be expecting a win from this game. The Cottagers have made some great purchases this season, and they should be in for a comfortable mid-table campaign. Therefore, they should have a go at something like the Carabao Cup.
Overall, they’ve not been the greatest of cup sides, but a couple of seasons ago they did get to the semi-finals in this competition only to get knocked out by Liverpool. They might fall short again this season, but I do expect them to take all the beating at St. Andrews.
Selection: Fulham (8/13)
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Burnley
After a very bright start to the season, things came back down to earth for Burnley as they lost to Sunderland 1-0 at the weekend. Before that, they had beaten Luton Town 4-1 and Cardiff City 5-0, so it kind of came out of the blue. However, things off the pitch have started to go against Scott Parker, with the loss of a few key players to injury as their midfield and attacking options look light.
Therefore, Wolverhampton Wanderers should be using this opportunity to kickstart their season. So far they’ve lost their opening two games, and they were hammered 6-2 by Chelsea at Molineux on Sunday. Wolves don’t have too many injury concerns, so they should be able to field a strong team. I just think the West Midlands side will have too much quality for them, and I think they can get the job done.
Selection: Wolverhampton Wanderers (4/6)
Acca Payout : 14.75/1
