Betting.Betfair

Aston Villa v Tranmere

You can't be confident about anything in the early rounds of the League Cup, especially team selections, and as a general rule you'd imagine that Premier League clubs would rest some of their better players and give the 'second string' a chance.

That could well be the case when Villa host Tranmere but such is the need for Paul Lambert to get his first win I have a hunch that his starting XI will be a pretty strong one and they'll be fully fired up to get the win. Two league defeats on the bounce has put the new boss under some early pressure; a defeat tonight will be a huge blow.

Tranmere have started the season very strongly, recording two wins out of three (in which they scored three goals both times) and gaining an excellent draw at Shrewsbury at the weekend. As daft as it may seem, it could be wily old boss Ronnie Moore that rests a few players tonight as promotion from League One will be their ultimate aim this season.

Recommended Bet: Back Villa HT/Villa FT @ 2.3


Carlisle v Ipswich

A side that recorded a thumping win at the weekend versus a side that was on the wrong end of a good hiding. That might have little to do with the outcome of this encounter but I fully expected to see Carlisle at around the 2.6 mark for the visit of Ipswich, so at 3.1 to back, I have to make them a selection.

Scoring four goals against bewildered Portsmouth might not turn out to be such an achievement, but Carlisle themselves were coming off a 0-3 home defeat so they showed a lot of character against a Pompey team that might not have any money, but they do have some fighting spirit.

Ipswich were played off the park against Blackpool on Saturday, a result that had boss Paul Jewell shaking his head in disbelief. Yes, the home side were good, but the Tractor Boys were awful and I expect Jewell will ring the changes tonight. The problem is, his squad isn't that good, so we'll either see a side that is lacking in confidence or a side containing a lot of young and inexperienced players.

However Ipswich line up I'm pretty confident that Carlisle boss Greg Abbott won't change things around too much and that home advantage might just swing this tie in United's favour.

Recommended Bet: Back Carlisle to win @ 3.1


Other games

The Sky Sports cameras will be at the City Ground to see Nottingham Forest host Wigan, and they are there for one reason only; to see a potential upset. I'm not so sure, I think it's a difficult game to call but at the current odds I'd rather be on the Latics at 3.2 than Forest at 2.44.

There will be plenty of short price favourites going into your Multiples but as always, there's sure to be at least one upset on the night. My advice is to not get too greedy and select all seven or eight 1.4 (or less) shots, and instead be selective - three or four will still net you a nice profit.

Norwich (1.4) should have no problem beating out of sorts Scunthorpe at Carrow Road, whilst Everton (1.2) are in such confident mood that whoever David Moyes selects to play should be able to see of Leyton Orient. Put those two in a treble with Aston Villa (1.52) for accumulative odds of approximately 2.55.

For more football betting articles, go to http://betting.betfair.com/football/