ALEX CROOK: EFL Cup Midweek

Star Sports ambassador ALEX CROOK casts his eye over the pick of the midweek EFL Cup fixtures…

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LIVERPOOL v SOUTHAMPTON
Tuesday, 8pm

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Liverpool are short-priced favourites to make it seven wins from seven games in all competitions this season when they host Championship Southampton at Anfield on Tuesday.

The Reds threatened to blow Everton away in Sunday’s Merseyside derby, but ultimately won 2-1, the fifth game in a row they have been victorious by just one goal.

Arne Slot will be hoping for a more comfortable night against a Southampton side who find themselves dangerously close to the relegation zone have been demoted from the Premier League last season.

It has not been the start to the campaign Saints’ new manager Will Still was hoping for and his side have won just one of their last six games.

Liverpool did the double over Southampton in the league last season, but then so did most teams, and with a tricky trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday on the horizon, Slot will almost certainly make wholesale changes.

Virgil van Dijk will be one of those wrapped in cotton wall for the visit to Selhurst Park and I do think Saints are capable of scoring against an under-strength Reds defence.

The player Liverpool fans may be most excited to see given a start is 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who has already announced himself to the football world by coming off the bench to score the winner at Newcastle last month.

It would be no surprise to see Ngumoha repeat the trick here and he is available at 29/20 to score at any time with starsports.bet.

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WOLVES v EVERTON
Tuesday, 7.45pm

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Wolves’ nightmare start to the season continued as they were beaten 3-1 at home by Leeds on Saturday, despite taking an early lead.

Vitor Pereira’s side are still pointless after five Premier League games and face an uphill struggle to avoid relegation, especially given how competitive the newly-promoted teams are.

Everton won at Molineux as recently as last month and there is no reason for David Moyes not to pick a strong team, given his side are sitting comfortable in mid-table.

Moyes would surely love to become the first Toffees manager since Joe Royle in 1995 to lift a major trophy and has to see this as a great opportunity to progress to round four.

Everton have conceded in every away game and with the fit-again Jorgen Strand-Larsen likely to start after coming off the bench against Leeds so I like the look of Everton to win and both teams to score at 7/2 with starsports.bet.

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BARNSLEY v BRIGHTON
Tuesday, 7.45pm

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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler could be forgiven for feeling under a bit of pressure after seeing his side pick up just five points from their first five Premier League games.
Beating Manchester City aside, the Seagulls have been underwhelming ahead of their trip to League One Barnsley on Tuesday.

Brighton’s recent knockout should give Hurzeler cause for optimism though as since 2019 they have appeared in two FA Cup semi-finals and have progressed to round four of this competition in four of the past five seasons.

They thrashed Championship Oxford in the last round and I can see another comfortable victory against a Barnsley side who lost 1-0 to Blackpool at the weekend.
Brighton at -2 on the handicap at 2/1 with starsports.bet really catches my eye.

I am also including Greek striker Stefanos Tzimas, who struck twice at Oxford, in my price-booted anytime goalscorer ‘Alex ACCA’ along with the aforementioned Rio Ngumoha, Fulham’s Emile Smith-Rowe at home to Cambridge and Arsenal weekend hero Gabriel Martinelli as the Gunners head to Port Vale on Wednesday.

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NEWCASTLE v BRADFORD
Wednesday, 7.45pm

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Cup holders Newcastle have been dealt a potential banana skin at home to League One leaders Bradford on Wednesday night.

The Bantams are arguably punching above their weight having won six lost just one of their nine league games and won at Cardiff at the weekend to leapfrog the Bluebirds at the top of the table.

Newcastle once again struggled in front of goal as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Bournemouth.

Eddie Howe’s men have now drawn their last three away games without scoring a goal and with Yoane Wissa injured, it would be a risk to start record signing Nick Woltemade here.

Howe has come unstuck in cup competitions against lower league sides on a number of occasions in the past, including crashing out at home to Cambridge in the FA Cup early in his Newcastle tenure.

This might not be as straightforward as the betting suggests so I am going to take a chance on backing the draw after 90 minutes at a whopping 8/1 with starsports.bet.

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RECOMMENDED BETS
BEST BET: Brighton -2 on the handicap 1.5pts at 2/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

NEXT BEST: Everton to win and BTTS 1pt at 7/2 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

OTHER: Rio Ngumoha to score 1pt at 29/20 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

LONG SHOT: Newcastle v Bradford draw 0.5pts at 8/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

ALEX ACCA: Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool v Southampton), Emile Smith-Rowe (Fulham v Cambridge), Stefanos Tzimas (Barnsley v Brighton) and Gabriel Martinelli (Port Vale v Arsenal) all to score 0.5pts at 33/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

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ALEX CROOK P&L (SEP 2025): +11.25 points

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