Meanwhile, West Ham and Tottenham set to meet in fierce London derby, while in-form Middlesbrough host Crystal Palace
The round of 16 in the EFL Cup continues this coming Wednesday night (31 October) with Frank Lampard taking his Derby County side to his old club Chelsea, looking to book a place in the last eight of the knock-out competition. On the same night, West Ham and Tottenham will lock horns in a local derby while Middlesbrough will look to eliminated Premier League opposition in the form of Crystal Palace.
First things first
Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite betting site and get your own account up and running using your credit card. As a new customer and with a place in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup up for grabs, there should be a wide range of promotions and special offers available to you.
Where should I be investing my money?
First up, Chelsea welcome Derby County to Stamford Bridge. The Blues are going strong in the Premier League and remain unbeaten so far this season, establishing themselves as title contenders alongside Manchester City and Liverpool.
Derby, meanwhile, are looking in fairly good nick themselves and have gone five matches unbeaten in the EFL Championship. They sit sixth in the league standings and can at least approach this daunting tie with some confidence.
Unsurprisingly, however, it is Chelsea who are the clear favourites to wrap up victory. The London club are at just 1.28 to win inside 90 minutes, and 1.12 to progress, while Derby are out at 6.00 to qualify for the next round of the tournament and all the way out at 13.00 to be ahead at the full-time whistle.
A comfortable, 2-0 win for Chelsea is priced at 6.50, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$32.50 pay out. In addition, you could more than double your money by backing under 2.5 goals in the game at 2.40, according to Oddsshark.
West Ham and Tottenham meet in derby
And the most mouth-watering of the ties comes from the London Stadium, as West Ham United host Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham sit 13th in the Premier League but have not won any of their last three outings – their last victory came against Manchester United over a month ago, and victory here would give them a timely boost.
Tottenham, by way of comparison, harbour genuine hopes of winning the league title this season, but suffered a major setback this past Monday night when they lost at home to current champions Manchester City. Tottenham won a couple of weeks back away to West Ham in the league and will like their chances of following that up with a cup win.
And it is indeed Spurs who come into this match as the slight favourites to progress to the last eight. You can more than double your money by backing the visitors to win inside 90 minutes at a price of 2.55, with West Ham only slightly higher at 2.80 – a draw would look to be the least likely result and is priced accordingly at 3.60.
A repeat of that 1-0 score line in Tottenham’s favour is priced competitively at 9.50, offering close to a ten-fold return on any investment. In addition, you can more than double your money by backing a “No” to both teams scoring at 2.20.
Boro looking to cause upset against Palace
And finally, Middlesbrough will be looking to cause an upset when they host Premier League club Crystal Palace. Boro are going strong in the EFL Championship, sitting third in the standings just two points off the top, and are unbeaten in their last three league contests.
Palace, in stark contrast, look to be struggling in the top flight. The London club are just three points above the relegation zone and have not won any of their last five league encounters – confidence cannot exactly be at a premium right now.
Nevertheless, it is Palace who come into the tie as favourites to progress. You can more than double your money by backing the visitors to win inside 90 minutes at 2.25, while Boro, despite home advantage, are out at 3.40 to do the same – a draw is slightly higher at 3.50.
But we fancy Middlesbrough to cause an upset. A 2-1 win for the second tier club is priced at 12.00, thereby offering more than a ten-fold return on any investment, while you can more than double your money by backing over 2.5 goals in the game at 2.15.
EFL Cup round of 16 (after 90 minutes):
Wednesday, 31 October
(1.11) Arsenal x Blackpool (26.00); draw (11.00)
(1.28) Chelsea x Derby County (13.00); draw (6.00)
(2.80) West Ham United x Tottenham Hotspur (2.55); draw (3.60)
(3.40) Middlesbrough x Crystal Palace (2.25); draw (3.50)
Thursday, 1 November
(1.11) Manchester City x Fulham (34.00); draw (10.00)