EFL Cup

Manchester City are expected to wrap up a fourth straight EFL Cup triumph when taking on Tottenham at Wembley. Spurs will have interim manager Ryan Mason in charge and the rookie boss may not be ready for the challenge of facing Pep Guardiola, especially with Harry Kane a fitness doubt.

Manchester United have a decent record in recent derby clashes but are hard to fancy when facing City at Etihad Stadium this weekend. The Red Devils are coming off three drab goalless draws, whereas their neighbours are on the crest of a wave following 21 straight wins in all competitions.

Brentford have beaten four Premier League teams in the EFL Cup but may struggle to get past a determined Tottenham outfit in Tuesday’s semi-final. Spurs have a clear edge in quality and Jose Mourinho always takes this competition seriously, having lifted the trophy with Chelsea and Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho has a great record in the EFL Cup and that makes Tottenham hard to oppose when they visit Stoke in this season’s quarter-finals. The Spurs boss lifted this trophy three times during two stints with Chelsea and again prevailed while in charge of Manchester United.

Brentford will hope to take advantage of Newcastle’s recent virus issues when these teams meet in the EFL Cup quarter-finals. The Bees have already knocked out three Premier League teams and have been in fine form in the Championship of late, so this contest comes at a good time for them.

Brentford have a score to settle with Fulham following August’s play-off final loss and are fancied to win Thursday’s EFL Cup clash. The Bees obliged in both regular-season meetings in the Championship last term and have already knocked two Premier League teams out of this competition.

Steve Bruce has made no secret of his desire to do well in the EFL Cup so it will be disappointing if Newcastle can’t brush aside Newport in round four. County have enjoyed some good cup runs in recent years, but they were aided by a poor Rodney Parade pitch and vociferous home support.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has not taken the EFL Cup too seriously in the past but would no doubt like to get past Lincoln this week. The Reds have a number of new recruits and fringe squad members who should benefit from some playing time in this competition ahead of bigger tests.

Boyhood Everton fan Joey Barton will have Fleetwood fired up for an EFL Cup tie with the Toffees at Highbury but this is a tough task for Town. The visitors have started the new campaign in cracking form and will be keen to maintain that momentum with another win on the Fylde Coast.

Man Utd looked woefully short of match sharpness in their Premier League opener and Luton are a value bet to take advantage in the EFL Cup. The Hatters are flying high in the Championship, have already battled through two rounds of this competition and will be fired up for this tie.

Jose Mourinho faces a tricky juggling act as Tottenham visit Leyton Orient in the third round of the EFL Cup. Spurs must play this match just two days before travelling to North Macedonia to face KF Shkendija in a Europa League qualifier, but may still have the strength in depth to cope.

Both of these south-coast teams have much more important matters to deal with than the EFL Cup this season and could be forgiven for not putting too much emphasis on Thursday night’s game. Brighton once again start the campaign aiming for Premier League survival while Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett is under pressure to earn automatic promotion out of League One.

Everton will hope a smart summer in the transfer market sees them challenging for silverware this season and they begin their EFL Cup campaign with the visit of League Two side Salford. The Toffees enjoyed an impressive start to the new campaign at the weekend with a 1-0 victory at Tottenham and look to have recruited well under Carlo Ancelotti.

Harrogate made a dream start to life in the EFL at the weekend and will now be eyeing a cup upset at Premier League new boys West Brom. Town were promoted through the National League play-offs last month and have started the new season with four successive away games in three different competitions.