Liverpool welcome Championship opponents Southampton to Anfield
Liverpool will begin their quest for an 11th EFL Cup when they welcome Championship opponents Southampton to Anfield on Tuesday. The Reds are first in the top flight with 15 points from a possible 15, while the Saints are 19th in the Championship with six points from six league fixtures.
The Merseysiders defeated local rivals Everton 2-1 on Saturday, but while they performed excellently in the first half, the team struggled to cope with the Toffees’ intensity in the second half.
Arne Slot noted that his players were experiencing fatigue having played in the Champions League last Wednesday, when they beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 at Anfield.
Liverpool should be concerned by the fact that they have conceded two goals in a match three times, throwing away 2-0 leads against Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Atletico Madrid.
Despite some problems at the back, Liverpool have triumphed in every one of their outings this campaign, as well as winning all four of their games at Anfield.
The Reds claimed the EFL Cup in 2023-24, and they reached the 2024-25 final before suffering a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United in March.
Southampton could look to take advantage of Liverpool’s backline, especially as regulars like Van Dijk will be missing on Tuesday.
However, the depth and quality of the hosts’ squad should be enough to get them over the line, and it would not be surprising if they won their seventh game of the season.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Chelsea travel away to face Lincoln City
Premier League giants Chelsea are set to travel to the LNER Stadium to take on League One side Lincoln City on Tuesday in the third round of the EFL Cup.
The hosts are out to extend their impressive unbeaten streak, while the Blues will be hoping to bounce back from consecutive defeats in midweek.
Michael Skubala‘s Lincoln have enjoyed a strong campaign so far, losing just once across all competitions as they push for promotion to the Championship.
Despite the disparity in divisions between the clubs in this tie, the hosts will draw confidence from their excellent home record, having won five and drawn two of their last seven clashes at the LNER Stadium.
Lincoln had to overcome both Harrogate Town and Burton to reach the third round, and they will relish the chance to face top-flight opposition in front of their own crowd on Tuesday.
Most recently, the Blues were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United on Saturday, though they were hampered by an early red card for goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
The Londoners are now sixth in the table with eight points overall and are seven behind leaders Liverpool already, though they remain just two short of fourth-placed Bournemouth.
Chelsea have consistently been criticised in recent seasons for their activity both on and off the pitch, but they continue to pick up silverware, lifting the UEFA Conference League last term while using the competition to give minutes to youngsters.
The Blues last reached the EFL Cup final in 2024 when they were beaten by the current top-flight champions, but they will be hoping to go one step further this time around and take a closer look at some of the exciting fringe players in their squad in the process.
However, the gulf in individual quality could make the difference on Tuesday, with the likes of Palmer, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho and Estevao likely to be involved.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Barnsley, Brighton faceoff in EFL third round
Barnsley will have an opportunity to test themselves against Premier League opposition when they take on Brighton in the third round of the EFL Cup this night.
The Tykes have not progressed past the third round of this competition since the 2009-10 season, while the Seagulls are looking to reach the fourth stage for the second successive campaign.
With the small exception of an EFL Cup quarter-final run back in 1982, Barnsley are not in a position to boast about their history in this competition. In fact, the Tykes have tasted first-round elimination in four of their last seven seasons.
Barnsley’s unremarkable record in the competition has certainly got off to a good start.
Barnsley will head into Tuesday’s tasty encounter on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Blackpool in the league, which was the club’s second league of the season and also marked the second time in which they failed to score a goal.
Prior to that slip-up at the seaside, Barnsley were on a run of three straight wins across all competitions.
The Seagulls turn their attention to cup duties this Tuesday as they look to reach the fourth round of the EFL Cup for the fifth time in six seasons.
Brighton are not quite firing on all cylinders, but they are still expected to get the job done comfortably against their League One opponents. Barnsley to score but Brighton to win 3-1 is our prediction.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Fulham and Cambridge resume their EFL Cup campaigns
Fulham and Cambridge United will resume their EFL Cup campaigns when they clash at Craven Cottage in the third round on Tuesday night.
The hosts defeated Bristol City 2-0 to progress to this round, while the visitors have beaten Bristol Rovers and Charlton Athletic on their route to round three.
Despite facing a challenging start to the 2025-26 season on paper, matched up against Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester United, Chelsea, Leeds United and Brentford in their first five league matches, Fulham have impressively lost just once in their opening six games across all competitions.
The Cottagers came from behind against both Brighton and Man Utd to secure back-to-back 1-1 draws in the opening two Premier League fixtures, followed by Marco Silva‘s side claiming their first win of the campaign against Bristol City (2-0) in the second round of the EFL Cup.
Fulham were unable to maintain their unbeaten start to the season as they disappointingly lost 2-0 to Chelsea on the Premier League’s third matchday, though the game might have been very different had Josh King’s opening goal not been wrongly disallowed – a decision which PGMOL have since issued an apology for.
Fulham are undoubtedly the stronger team heading into Tuesday’s tie, and even with plenty of anticipated rotation, we expect the Cottagers to comfortably win.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
FIXTURES
Wigan Athletic 19:45 Wycombe Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers 19:45 Everton
