EFL League Cup ACCA Betting Tips & Predictions | Football Park

The EFL League Cup starts again for a new season this Tuesday so here at Football Park we’ve decided to give you a lovely ACCA to commemorate the occasion.

Carlisle vs Stoke

Carlisle kicked off their League Two campaign of with a 4-1 away defeat to Gillingham at the weekend which has left them sat at the bottom of the table due to goal difference. They dropped down a league after ending the 46 matches with 30 losses and a subsequent relegation last season and that bad run of games is looking like it hasn’t left them just yet.

The hosts have not been able to win a match in their last four attempts and they haven’t been able to make home advantage count either as from the last 10 home games they’ve played, Carlisle have not come away from the game with all three points in any of those 10.

Championship side Stoke saw off Coventry City in their opening match of the season thanks to a goal from substitute Lewis Baker and they will hope that win is one of many for their aim to survive relegation this season. They have not finished above 14th place in the league since dropping down from the Premier League back in the 2017/18 season.

However, they face a side two divisions below them in this Round 1 EFL League Cup match and the difference in quality between the two sides will be a massive factor in helping them make it through to the next round.

What is this leg of the ACCA?

This leg of the ACCA is for Stoke City To Win. Theoretically they are a much better side out of the two teams that have struggled domestically over the years, but we see Stoke beating Carlisle in this one.

Cambridge vs QPR

A 2-0 loss to Stockport County sees that Cambridge United sat in 23rd, one from bottom, in League One after opening weekend. They finished last season in 18th place with a four point gap to the relegation zone so they will want to improve on that this year and what could help is a small cup run to boost the morale.

Gary Monk’s side only had the one pre-season game, a surprising victory against Championship opposition West Brom and The Us will try and repeat that trick against Queen’s Park Rangers in this Round 1 match of the EFL League Cup. But with that result the only win from their last five games, it will be a tough challenge.

QPR looked down and out from the Championship last season until they miraculously hit a great run of form which had some highlights of beating Leeds 4-0 and being 1-2 victors against Leicester. They haven’t started this year’s campaign with such joy though as on opening weekend they suffered a home defeat to West Brom courtesy of a Josh Maja hattrick.

The two pre-season games they played ended in narrow losses, but they were faced up against Premier League opponents and faired well against them, a 0-2 and 0-1 result versus Tottenham and Brighton respectively.

What is this leg of the ACCA?

This leg of the ACCA is for QPR To Win. They both sides have started their campaigns of with a loss but not including friendly games before the start of the season, Queen’s Park Rangers come into this match in the better form and them being a division above Cambridge doesn’t hurt either.

Norwich vs Stevenage

The Canaries are off to a bad start in their 2024/24 Championship season as they lost to recently promoted side Oxford United on opening weekend, a 2-0 loss the result. Norwich finished in 6th place last year, a playoff spot, but had their dreams of making it back to the Premier League crushed by Leeds in a 4-0 away defeat in the second leg of the Semi-Finals.

Norwich haven’t had the best pre-season as they were only victorious in one out of the six friendly matches they played. Nevertheless, those games aren’t any indication of how the season will go, or at least that is what Johannes Thorup and his men will be hoping.

Stevenage were off to winning ways in League One with their 1-0 home win against Shrewsbury Town at the weekend thanks to a goal from striker Elliot List. They had the chance to extend their lead in that game with a spot kick but unfortunately for them it was missed by Dan Kemp.

A solid 9th place finish in League One last year is something that Stevenage will look to replicate or achieve better things. A Round 2 exit in last year’s edition of the EFL League Cup allowed them to primarily focus on their domestic campaign and that could be the same after this fixture. With this match versus Norwich being held at Carrow Road, it could be a challenge for The Boro since they have been unable to win an away match in their last eight attempts.

What is this leg of the ACCA?

This leg of the ACCA is for Norwich To Win. Despite being unsuccessful in their first game of the Championship, they should be triumphant in this one as they face opposition that are not used to playing against the quality if teams that Norwich play regularly and that should be a key factor in a Norwich win.

Preston North End vs Sunderland

Preston sit in rock bottom of the Championship on goal difference after opening weekend following a 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield United. 10th was the final finishing position for them last season and they will look to pick up form again in this EFL League Cup match and hope that translates into domestic form.

Across all competitions, Preston have not won in two home matches, a worrying stat as they invite Sunderland to Deepdale for this Round 1 faceoff. An even more concerning stat is that The Lilywhites have ended their last two matches with a blank column on their scoresheet as they have had issues with not being clinical enough.

Sunderland performed well in their opening game of the Championship and earned themselves all three points away from home at Cardiff with a 0-2 win. Young talents Jack Clarke and Jobe Bellingham shone, teaming up to provide the second goal after centreback Luke O’Nien got the match going with his goal in the 18th minute.

Those two are expected to shine again against not just Preston, but also for the whole season as The Black Cats aim to improve on a disappointing 16th place finish last season. They were dumped out of the competition at this stage last year as Crewe Alexandra bested them in a penalty shootout so a win in this game would be an upgrade on that shock upset.

What is this leg of the ACCA?

This leg of the ACCA is for Sunderland To Win. Preston’s last of goal scoring ability is what will cost them as Sunderland have some impressive young attacking talent so they will most likely score at least once. If that is the case, then Preston don’t really have the squad to reply with a goal at the moment.

Watford vs MK Dons

Watford left it late in their opening match versus fellow London club Millwall but a 90th minute winner from Mileta Rajovic ensured that Watford won 2-3 and left with all three points. That victory leaves them sat in fifth place out of all the teams the won because of goal difference. A frustrating season befell them last year, but they look like they could do better then their 15th place finish under former player, now turned manager, Tom Cleverly.

The Hornets have had plenty of time to prepare for this match as they played a total of seven pre-season friendly matches. The results of them didn’t really go their way though as they won twice, lost three times and drew twice. Those games are mainly about rotating the squad so they will not see it as a bad omen for their games going forward.

MK Dons lost their first game of League Two, 1-2 at home to Bradford City. It sees them currently sat in 16th place but that will get better as we head deeper into the league. A fourth place finish last season was a fantastic result, ending in a Playoff Semi-Final against Crawley Town where they were thrashed over the two legs. An aggregate score of 8-1 to Crawley will have massively dampened their morale and that looks to still be haunting them even into the new season.

In their last five matches, MK Dons haven’t been able to win any of them and to add insult to injury, The Dons have not kept a clean sheet in seven attempts. Their leaky defensive is something that manager Mike Williamson will need to sort out as soon as possible if they want any chance of promotion into League One and making it past Watford in this Round 1 EFL League Cup game.

What is this leg of the ACCA?

This leg of the ACCA is for Watford To Win. The two division gap between the two sides is what swings this match in their favour, on top of the horrendous defensive record of MK Dons. Watford shouldn’t be caught out by this massive giant killing and will most likely go onto see themselves into Round 2.

What are the returns?

Through our bookmakers, Copybet are offering an extra 20% returns boost as part of the ACCA. The odds of 15.83/1 would normally return you £158.32 from a £10 stake, but thanks to the boost, the returns you would see if this ACCA comes through is a whopping £187.98.

Ladbrokes are also offering a boost to this ACCA making the odds go from 16.17/1 and increasing it to bigger odds of 17.78/1. Provided a £10 stake is placed, then the returns you could receive are an incredible £187.86.

Best of luck to those that join us on this journey but remember to get on this quick as these spectacular odds are subject to change.