Best bets
Middlesbrough to beat Stoke
Live on Sky Sports+, 7.15pm Tuesday
2pts 4-5 Hills
Blackburn to beat Blackpool
Live on Sky Sports+, 7.45pm Tuesday
2pts 3-4 Hills, Ladbrokes
Tuesday’s EFL Cup predictions
On the evidence of Middlesbrough’s impressive 3-0 victory at Leeds in the first round, Michael Carrick is again taking the EFL Cup seriously this season and Boro can make the most of home advantage against Championship rivals Stoke.
Boro made it to the semi-finals of last season’s competition, a run which saw them win five matches before edging past Chelsea 1-0 at home in the opening leg of their last-four encounter.
Carrick’s side were unable to defend their lead in the second leg at Stamford Bridge, suffering a 6-1 hiding in west London, but it highlighted their capabilities and they won’t want to put their hard work at Elland Road to waste.
Opponents Stoke won 2-0 at League Two Carlisle in the first round but they’ve since suffered back-to-back Championship defeats to Watford (3-0) and West Brom (2-1) and may come off second best at the Riverside.
Blackburn have come out all guns blazing in the Championship, taking seven points from their opening three games and seemingly showing no ill effects of losing star striker Sammie Szmodics to Ipswich.
Rovers have scored eight times in the league this term and they hit Stockport for six in their first EFL Cup outing, suggesting that they may have too much firepower for their toiling Lancashire rivals Blackpool.
The Tangerines are still awaiting their first League One win of the season after losing at third-tier new boys Crawley before suffering a 3-0 defeat at home to the same Stockport side that Blackburn had bulldozed their way past 6-1 four days earlier.
Blackpool relinquished a 4-1 lead to draw 4-4 with at Cambridge on Saturday and, with all clearly not well at Bloomfield Road, Blackburn perhaps warrant being a shorter price than the 3-4 they are.
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