Who will advance to the 2nd round of the EFL Cup?

On Wednesday, 14.08.2024, the first round of the EFL Cup will be a real cracker. Leeds United and Middlesbrough FC, two of the best teams in the second division, will face each other in what promises to be a very exciting clash. In the following paragraphs, we will take a closer look at why the Leeds vs Middlesbrough betting odds clearly favor a victory for the Peacocks

One of the main reasons for the fairly clear odds distribution will be individual class, because while the host’s squad value is €168 million, the visitors’ is only €60 million. Daniel Farke’s team should therefore be superior in terms of play and clearly dominate this match. For this reason, the bookmakers’ odds between Leeds and Middlesbrough also tend to favor a win for the visiting team

We quickly found what we were looking for in this match. We recommend betting on Emmanuel Latte Lah to score between Leeds and Middlesbrough. The Boro center forward is currently in top form and has scored eleven goals in his last ten games at club level. The Ivorian is also the visiting team’s penalty taker. That naturally increases the chances of a goal considerably. The game kicks off at 21:00 on Wednesday at Elland Road in Leeds. The match can be watched live and in full at Sportdigital or Bet365.

Leeds – Statistics & current form

The Peacocks will be reluctant to look back on last season, as promotion to the Premier League was within their grasp with 90 points from 46 games. In the all-important match against Southampton, however, their nerves failed and the Saints were catapulted into the English top flight. Unfortunately, they failed to regain promotion. However, this does not change the fact that Leeds United are once again among the favorites for promotion in the new season

Small false start

The new season got off to a disappointing start for Leeds United, as Daniel Farke’s side were held to a 3-3 draw by Portsmouth. As a result, the Peacocks squandered their first two points and are in tenth place for the time being. As promotion favorites, this should not happen against one of the three promoted teams. It will therefore be interesting to see whether the home side will be unsettled by this result or make a statement in the EFL Cup

A serious loss

Crysencio Summerville moved from Leeds United to West Ham United for 29.3 million euros in the summer, leaving a huge void. The 22-year-old winger scored 19 goals last season and set up a further nine. This made the Dutch attacker not only the Peacocks’ top scorer, but also one of the key players in the team. The club has not yet signed a replacement and is trying to fill the gap internally for the time being. In addition, midfield jewel Archie Gray left the team for Tottenham for a reported €41 million. As a result, the club has collected a total of around 116 million euros with departures, but currently only has 20 players in the squad. Something could still change here

Hard to defend

With 81 goals in 46 league games (Ø 1.76), the home side already had one of the best offenses in the Championship last season. This does not appear to have changed in the new season either, as the attacking line was unstoppable on the first matchday with three goals against Portsmouth. Daniel Farke’s team also missed three more great chances and could have scored far more often. A goal against Boro is therefore very likely

Cold shower

Defensively, Leeds United could be accused of little last season, as the hosts had the second-best defensive line in the league, conceding just 43 goals in 46 games. There was little evidence of this on the first matchday, however, as Daniel Farke’s side conceded three goals against newly-promoted Portsmouth. However, this was less due to their own carelessness and much more to the merciless efficiency of their opponents.

Predicted Leeds line-up:
Meslier – Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Firpo – Ampadu, Gruev, James, Rutter, Gnonto – Joseph

Middlesbrough – Statistics & current form

Middlesbrough fell well short of their own expectations in pre-season and even missed out on the play-offs in the end. However, with 69 points from 46 games, Michael Carrick’s team were ultimately only four points off the pace. So their own goal was not really far away. For this reason, Boro will once again be among the extended group of promotion candidates next season, alongside Burnley, Luton, Sheffield United, Leeds, Norwich, West Brom and Coventry.

Successful start

Boro faced Swansea City on the first matchday of the new season and thus a very unpleasant opponent. Luke Williams’ side are very robust and therefore difficult to play against. However, United legend Michael Carrick’s team still managed to pull this game out and claim their first three-pointer of the new season. Overall, the 1:0 victory was completely justified, as the result could have been much higher if four great chances had been missed

The heart of Boro

Finn Azaz only moved to Middlesbrough from Plymouth Argyle in January 2024 and hit the ground running. The attacking midfielder scored a total of 21 goals in the 2023/24 season, making him the top scorer for the visiting team. The 23-year-old Irishman also made his debut for the national team and celebrated his big breakthrough. If Azaz can build on these performances, the Championship will certainly not be the final destination

Powerful offense

With 71 goals in 46 league games (Ø 1.54), the visitors’ offense ranked sixth in the league. In addition, Michael Carrick’s team only failed to score nine times, finding the back of the net in 80% of games. Boro also created 109 great chances, making them one of the top five teams in the Championship. There was therefore another reason for missing out on the play-offs, which follows in the next paragraph:

Slightly too vulnerable

The visiting team’s defence should stabilize, especially in the fight for promotion, otherwise the leap into England’s top division will remain an unfinished dream this year. Last season, Boro conceded 62 goals, more than twelve of the 23 other teams. Michael Carrick’s side at least kept a clean sheet for the first time in their opening game against Swansea and should build on that.

Predicted Middlesbrough line-up:
Dieng – Ayling, van den Berg, Clarke, Engel – Hackney, Jones, Morris, McGee – Azaz, Latte Lah

Leeds – Middlesbrough head-to-head / H2H record

The direct comparison between the two teams goes to the home side. Leeds have won 42 duels against Boro, while 29 games have ended in a draw and the visitors have only managed 32 wins. The difference in strength has been even more pronounced in the recent past, with the visitors currently without a win in six matches. In fact, the Peacocks have won all of their last four encounters. For this reason, our prediction between Leeds and Middlesbrough is more in the direction of a home win

Leeds – Middlesbrough betting tip

We weren’t put off by the clear odds distribution and realized that Boro won’t have as little chance as the odds suggest. That’s why we recommend betting on “both teams to score – yes” between Leeds and Middlesbrough. This is mainly due to the two pre-season duels, in which a total of twelve goals (Ø 6.00) were scored. Both teams found the net at least twice. The betting tip is therefore

Alternatively, we recommend the odds for a home win between Leeds and Middlesbrough. The direct comparison is the best indicator of this, as the last four duels have all gone to the Peas. In addition, Daniel Farke’s team is simply better individually and should be able to bring their superiority to the pitch. In a supposedly close match, we therefore see the home side slightly ahead. You can find the best odds for this betting tip at Betano