Aston Villa vs. Everton (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
© Reuters
Both on cloud nine following respective Premier League away triumphs at the weekend, Aston Villa and Everton meet at Villa Park for the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
The Lions overcame Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in their last Premier League affair, while the Toffees claimed their first top-flight win of the season at the Gtech Community Stadium, sinking Brentford 3-1.
We say: Aston Villa 3-1 Everton
Knockout surprises at Villa Park are nothing new, as the Lions memorably suffered an FA Cup giant killing versus Stevenage in January, but we are struggling to envisage a happy ending to Wednesday's tie for the visiting crop.
Over the past six months, Emery's men have been an unbeatable force at their headquarters, and even with two much-changed teams on the field, the Lions should comfortably progress to the next stage.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Bournemouth vs. Stoke (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
© Reuters
Facing Championship opposition for the second time in two EFL Cup matches, Bournemouth welcome Stoke City to the Vitality Stadium for a third-round battle on Wednesday.
The Cherries came up trumps in a five-goal thriller with Swansea City in the second round, while the Potters subjected Rotherham United to a 6-1 obliteration.
We say: Bournemouth 3-0 Stoke City
With injuries piling up and other players unable to take the field on Wednesday for administrative reasons, this third-round tie has all the makings of a miserable evening for the Potters.
An injection of confidence would do Bournemouth the world of good right now, and we expect the Cherries to get it during a resounding success on home soil.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Lincoln vs. West Ham (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
© Reuters
West Ham United continue their busy early-season schedule by facing Lincoln City in the EFL Cup third round on Wednesday night.
At a time when the visitors sit in seventh place in the Premier League standings, Lincoln occupy one of the mid-table positions in League One.
We say: Lincoln City 1-4 West Ham United
With West Ham expected to make widespread changes, Lincoln will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds in this contest. Nevertheless, the Hammers have a deep squad with minimal injuries, leading us to predict a comfortable victory for the Premier League side.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Brentford vs. Arsenal (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
© Reuters
An all-Premier League EFL Cup third-round affair takes place at the Gtech Community Stadium on Wednesday evening, as Brentford host Arsenal in a midweek London derby.
While the Gunners received a bye to this stage of the tournament, Thomas Frank's side had to survive a scare to overcome Newport County on penalties in the second round.
We say: Brentford 1-2 Arsenal
Even with a growing list of injury concerns and a raft of changes expected on Wednesday, Brentford can almost always be relied upon to make the net bulge at the Gtech, where a surprise result is not beyond the realm of possibility versus a second-string Arsenal side.
The EFL Cup will not be high on Arteta's priority list this season, and some fans may - in hindsight - claim that an early exit will be a blessing in disguise, but a much-changed Gunners team can still capitalise on Brentford's fitness woes and defensive deficiencies to progress to round four.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
> How Arsenal could line up against Brentford
> Arsenal injury, suspension list vs. Brentford
Chelsea vs. Brighton (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
© Reuters
Chelsea will be looking for some respite from their Premier League struggles when they host Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
The Blues suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa last time out, while the high-flying Seagulls claimed a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth.
We say: Chelsea 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
When you couple Chelsea's poor recent record with Brighton's impressive form, all the signs point towards another difficult night for Pochettino's side.
Given that Brighton have scored 20 goals in seven outings across all competitions this season, we expect the Seagulls to notch another high-scoring victory at Stamford Bridge.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
> How Chelsea could line up against Brighton
> Chelsea injury, suspension list vs. Brighton
Fulham vs. Norwich (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
© Reuters
Fulham and Norwich City will be looking to reach the last 16 of the EFL Cup when they square off in their third-round tie on Wednesday night.
At a time when the home side occupy 11th place in the Premier League table, Norwich have recently dropped down to eighth position in the Championship.
We say: Fulham 3-1 Norwich City
Each team will probably make changes for this contest, throwing open the possibility of any result occurring at Craven Cottage. However, we can only back the home side, who have players in their squad who will want to impress in games such as this one.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Blackburn vs. Cardiff (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
© Reuters
Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City take a break from Championship action on Wednesday night when they meet in the EFL Cup third round.
While the home side have recently dropped down to 14th position in the second tier, seventh-placed Cardiff are currently one of the form teams in the division.
We say: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Cardiff City
With changes aplenty expected, it is impossible to predict the outcome of this contest with any great certainty. Nevertheless, we can only go with the Bluebirds who, despite only returning to South Wales late on Sunday night, are playing with an added belief under Bulut.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Liverpool vs. Leicester (Wednesday, 7.45pm)
© Reuters
Making a swift return to Premier League territory, Championship pace-setters Leicester City meet Liverpool at Anfield in Wednesday's EFL Cup third-round affair.
While Jurgen Klopp's men have not had to concern themselves with the competition just yet, the Foxes have already eliminated Burton Albion and Tranmere Rovers - winning 2-0 on both occasions - to book a trip to Merseyside.
We say: Liverpool 2-0 Leicester City
Should Leicester continue in the same vein, Premier League showdowns with Liverpool will be on their calendar for 2024-25, but for now, Klopp's men can be expected to subject the Championship leaders to a rude awakening.
Multiple-goal showings have been commonplace for the in-form Reds over the past few weeks, and Liverpool should not have to clear too many hurdles to advance to the fourth round.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
> How Liverpool could line up against Leicester City
> Liverpool injury, suspension list vs. Leicester City
Newcastle vs. Man City (Wednesday, 8.00pm)
© Reuters
Fresh from thrashing Sheffield United 8-0 at Bramall Lane, Newcastle United welcome Manchester City to St James' Park in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
While the Magpies humiliated the Blades last time out, Man City claimed a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest to extend their winning start to the 2023-24 campaign.
We say: Newcastle United 1-2 Manchester City
Buoyed by Sunday's demolition of Sheffield United, Newcastle will be confident of picking up where they left off at Bramall Lane, but Man City will have other ideas.
Although we expect the Magpies to give Guardiola's men a run for their money, we can see City flexing their muscles and booking their place in the next round via a narrow victory.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
> How Man City could line up against Newcastle
> Man City injury, suspension list vs. Newcastle
Oliver Thomas
