[Football- England 'EFL Cup'] 31.10/ 20:45 Exeter City- Middlesborough

[Robredo]

[Football- England 'EFL Cup'] 31.10/ 20:45 Exeter City- Middlesborough


Not the most amazing selection of games for Tuesday, but I do think this line is worth looking at in this EFL matchup between Championship side Middlesborough and League One side Exeter. With the difference in quality between these two teams, and considering their table positions in their respective leagues I think a look at Middlesborough here is not a bad bet at all.

Middlesborough have had a mediocre start in the Championship, the second division of English football, with 6 wins, 2 draws, and 6 losses. They sit 10th. Before their most recent loss to Stoke at the weekend, they were on a very fine run of form, winning 7 games in a row, keeping a clean sheet in 4 of those games. For this match I do expect them to rotate a bit, and they are also carrying some injuries, but their bench players really should have the quality to get a few goals on the board here. Before the 0-2 to Stoke, Boro were on a run of 9 games in a row with a goal scored, and they typically tend to put goals up particularly against weaker defenses, which is exactly what Exeter have. I know many people worry about midweek EFL matches, not knowing how teams will set up and how seriously they will take the competition. But I think for Boro, this trophy has sentimental value as it’s the first and only major trophy that they have won, and Championship sides do tend to take this competition seriously in general. If Latte Lath starts up front for Boro I think he’ll have a good run here in this match, also possible Carrick will trust Coburn at the top, and although he hasn’t been scoring much this is the perfect game for him to get his confidence back.

Exeter City have been pretty poor in League One, sitting in 17th with 8 losses and only 12 goals scored so far. They were on a run of 6 losses in a row before their most recent draw with Lincoln City. Since they beat Reading 2-1 back two months ago, they have only put up 7 goals in 14 matches. I do think their victory over Luton in the previous round of this competition was very impressive, but their form after this has not been inspiring and I believe they just don’t possess the ability to go toe-to-toe with another larger club like Boro for 90 mins. As candidates for relegation, Caldwell may be more focused on the league rather than on this competition, knowing that the drop is a very real possibility. I expect them to sit very deep and try to concede as little as possible so that they can get a win on pens (no extra time in these matches). Though, in general Exeter aren’t afraid of attacking, they average 13.8 shots per game but only 3.7 on target (Boro average 14.8/5.4). Still, they need to seriously put a shift in in an attacking sense to get goals on the board here. If they do push up, I’m expecting Boro’s players to be able to hit them on the counter.

This match I expect Boro to focus on defense first, and I believe they’ll have success in keeping opposition goals down. All three EFL wins for them this season have come from away games I think they’ll play a tight game here but should grab a victory. 2-0 to Boro.

2 @1,85 Bet365

FT 2:3