EFL Cup 2nd round, Wednesday, 28.08.2024 at 21:00
The international leagues have barely returned after the European Championship summer break and the first English weeks are already upon us. Where? In the motherland of soccer, of course, which feels like it has ten different cup competitions!
In the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening, two representatives of the Premier League meet, both of whom are still unbeaten and tend to stand out defensively. For this very reason, I will now tell you in my Nottingham Newcastle betting tip why I will be picking the “Under 3.5 goals” bet
The new Premier League season is only two matchdays old and the first cup competition is already underway! In the EFL Cup, where Liverpool FC are the defending champions, the best teams go head-to-head early on.
Newcastle United kick off their campaign with a Premier League rival in Nottingham Forest. Do the Magpies like the Cup? The 2023 final (0:2 against Manchester United) cannot hide the fact that strong results have been few and far between
It was the second time they made it past the quarter-finals! In 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022, all not long ago, the team failed to reach round 2. Why is that important? Quite simply because the 2nd round is also coming up now.
I’ll start my analysis with a look at the history. The reason quickly becomes clear: in 2018 and 2019, Nottingham Forest, the current opponents, were responsible for the elimination both times!
1:3 and 2:3 after extra time, the fans remember exactly how the matches went back then. Although they have won three of the last four head-to-head meetings in the league, the statistics from the EFL Cup are still a bad omen.
But enough history, how is Newcastle’s current form? In the Premier League, they started with a narrow 1-0 win against Southampton, with Joelinton scoring the decisive goal
A little later, they drew 1-1 at Bournemouth. Not exactly the desired result, but Newcastle had already been incredibly poor away from home in 2023/24. Eleven defeats in 19 rounds, 40 goals conceded, that was nothing!
A draw at relegation candidates Bournemouth naturally gives the impression that the away weakness has not been sufficiently addressed. And yet, as fans of VfB Stuttgart will remember, they brought in a new keeper in Odysseas Vlacholdimos
Where did he come from? From Nottingham! Top striker Callum Wilson is still out injured and his goals are missing for the Magpies, who have probably only managed to net twice due to his absence.
If we take a look at the odds for the 2nd round against Nottingham, our German bookmakers are of the opinion that the visitors are favored across the board, with odds of 2.15 to 3.30.
As far as pure progression is concerned, you can look forward to odds of 1.60 to 2.20. Nottingham Forest are of course aiming to knock their rivals out of the competition for the third time in a row.
Why shouldn’t that work? After all, the two results from the league are exactly the same! Fun fact: Nottingham actually had the same opponents to play against, namely Southampton and Bournemouth.
1:0 and 1:1? Yes, curiously enough, one match is like the other here. In that respect, I have to praise the defense here too, and the only goal conceded was unfortunate just before the end.
The Reds didn’t get relegated a few months ago, but finished in the last place needed to do so. Things definitely need to improve in 2024/25, the first steps have already been very positive
What is the state of the EFL Cup? Exactly one year ago, which is certainly not the best news, we were knocked out in the 2nd round against Burnley, and in three of the last four years the chapter ended after the second match at the latest.
The Premier League fixture list had it this way: Newcastle and Nottingham had the same results against the same opponents on the first two matchdays, making the direct duel all the more exciting.
What was definitely interesting in my analysis was the fact that both can defend quite well. In this respect, I don’t actually expect us to experience an absolute shootout on Wednesday.
The defensive performances in the PL were no coincidence, and the home side in particular would have come through completely unscathed. That’s why my final prediction is:
The 3.5 goals will not be scored!
