Carabao Cup Ante-Post Tips 2022/23

With the 2022/23 Carabao Cup officially underway, it’s time to start looking at potential winners and in particular, those which have value.

There’s a lot to think about when attempting to predict which teams will be in the running for the EFL Cup come February and much of them apply to the bigger teams in the competition.

I’ll be taking a look at the teams and sharing my thoughts on who I think have the potential to do well along with my EFL Cup winner tips and more.

EFL Cup Winner Prediction

First, let’s take a look at the favourites to lift this season’s cup…

Team	Odds	Bookie
Manchester City	13/4
Liverpool	15/2
Tottenham	10/1
Chelsea	10/1
Manchester United	12/1
Arsenal	12/1
Newcastle United	16/1
West Ham	18/1
Brighton	25/1
Leicester	15/1

and the winners over the past 10 years…

As you can see, other than Swansea winning the competition back in 2012/13, the EFL Cup has been won every season by the bigger teams – Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United & Chelsea.

I expect the same this season given that the gap between those in the top flight and those in the lower leagues is only growing.

The World Cup takes place in November/December which will disrupt the season both in the leagues and in the cup competitions. You can take a look at our World Cup Betting Tips if you’re thinking of having a bet. Teams will also be prioritising certain competitions and the EFL Cup will likely be further down their lists.

Starting with Manchester City who have won the Carabao Cup in 4 of the last 5 and 5 of the last 7 seasons, they have every chance again to go on and win it. Their main advantage is the depth of their squad which will allow Pep Guardiola to rotate his team to keep players fit for their title challenge yet still field an extremely strong side in the cup. Odds of 13/4 aren’t very appealing and so another option would be to simply back them to progress when they come up against some of the bigger teams later on in the tournament.

Liverpool are the current EFL Cup champions and are priced at 15/2 to retain it. Klopp’s side have not had the best of starts to the season having picked up just 2 points from their first 3 games and so even though it’s very early in the season, all their focus will be on the league and making sure they qualify for the Champions League if not the title. Similar to City, although not to the same extent, they too have a good squad depth and likely to be able to field strong sides throughout the tournament.

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Tottenham should be considered at a price of 10/1. They’re certainly stronger than they were last season and if they can stay consistent, they should be able to do will in both the league and the cup.

Chelsea to me are of a similar standard to Spurs which shows in their 10/1 price. They’re going to prove tough to beat in cup games and I expect them to reach the latter stages of the tournament.

Manchester United are 12/1 but their focus this season will surely be on finishing in a Champions League or at worst, a Europa League spot. Their 2-1 win at home to Liverpool on Monday night may prove to be a turning point for den Haag’s side but it remains to be seen how consistent they’ll be with their results throughout the season. The manager will have to rotate his squad for the cup games to ensure the best chance of picking up points in the league which could result in them slipping up along the way.

Arsenal, like Tottenham, are another team that I fancy to do well this season and are priced at 12/1 to win their first EFL Cup since 1992/93. They’re playing extremely well in the league and if Arteta decides to risk fielding a strong side throughout the tournament, they should make the latter stages and have every chance against the bigger opponents.

It’s not often that you’d see Newcastle as the seventh favourites to win a cup competition but the bookies have priced them at 16/1. As a Newcastle fan, there’s nothing I’d like to see more than them go on a good cup run but I just don’t think they have the squad depth to go the distance. The league will be Eddie Howe’s main priority this season and although he knows the fans want silverware, he’s likely to switch a few of the key players for cup games which could result in an exit along the way. I don’t think they’ll slip up too early but I can’t see them going the distance.

Other than that, we have West Ham, Brighton, Leicester, Aston Villa, Everton, Crystal Palace and others. From those, Brighton and Palace have probably impressed most in the league so far this season and they’re priced at 25/1 & 50/1. Palace could make a good go of it and considering they’re around 28/1 elsewhere, I think 50/1 has value with BetVictor and Quinnbet.

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My Carabao Cup Predictions

It’s hard to see past Manchester City considering their squad depth, record in this competition and the players they have at their disposal. If I had to pick a winner, it surely would be them. I just wish there was a little bit more value in their price of 13/4.

Arsenal at 12/1 look like the best of the others, along with Spurs. If Jesus can stay fit and Arteta fancies a run in this tournament, I think they should be able to give any team a run for their money along the way.

For an outsider selection, I’d take a small punt on Crystal Palace each way. Palace fans haven’t had much to shout about in the EFL Cup over recent seasons with the team being eliminated in the fourth round or earlier for the last 10 years. However, they’re looking good under Vieira at the moment and he did guide them to the semi-finals of the FA Cup last season where they lost 2-0 to Chelsea. If they get a good draw then they could have a run in this competition which is most likely their best chance of silverware this season.

Prediction:

• Low-Risk: Manchester City @ 13/4 with Unibet
• Medium-Risk: Arsenal @ 12/1 with Betfred
• High-Risk: Crystal Palace Each Way @ 50/1 with Quinnbet

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