Who is playing in the EFL Cup tonight?

There are three ties tonight with another five tomorrow. Arsenal face Leeds, Chelsea host Southampton and League One Sunderland travel to Championship side QPR. Each tie will be settled tonight, so we’ll know three of the eight quarter-finalists later, even if penalties are required.

Arsenal v Leeds

Arsenal have saved their best form this season for this competition, although they have been against lower league opposition until this 4^th round clash with Leeds. The Gunners beat West Brom 6-0 and AFC Wimbledon 3-0 to make it this far, while Leeds beat Crewe 3-0 before needing penalties to get past Nottingham Forest after a goalless draw, meaning neither team has conceded a goal in the competition this year. While both sides will make changes to their Premier League sides, big money players like Nicolas Pepe, who aren’t currently first choice, will be looking to impress.

Daniel James First Goal Scorer 14/1

Wales international James is yet to get off the mark since his big money move from Manchester United at the end of the summer transfer window, but with the Yorkshire side struggling with injuries, it’s possible he’ll be pushed further up front and get more chances. James will fancy himself one on one in a foot race with any of the Arsenal defenders, but even if a chance does come his way, can he put it away? Remember, any first goal scorer bet with Spreadex is covered by our 1^st Scorer Insurance. If your selection doesn’t get the first goal, but does get the last, stakes will be refunded as a free bet up to £25.

Chelsea v Southampton

Chelsea only entered the competition in the 3^rd round, and could have been knocked out by Aston Villa. Timo Werner opened the scoring but Cameron Archer equalised and sent the game to penalties, the Blues squeezing through 4-3. Southampton started their EFL Cup run with an 8-0 win at Newport, but found winning at Sheffield United in the 3^rd round much tougher, eventually prevailing in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw.

Total Penalties Taken 1.9-2.3

With both sides needing penalties to get this far, and the possibility of another shootout tonight, there are plenty of special penalty markets that can be bet on. This market counts the number of penalties taken in a penalty shootout in tonight’s game. Obviously if there is no shootout – so one team qualifies in the regular way by beating the other – this will be settled at 0 and any buyers would lose 2.3 times their stake. But if the match does go to penalties, there must be at least 6 spot kicks (the minimum would occur if one team missed their first three kicks and the other scored theirs) and usually at least 10.

When is England’s next T20 World Cup match?

England take on Bangladesh in the early game tomorrow at the T20 World Cup, starting at 11am, fresh from a cracking start that has seen them in to joint favouritism to lift the trophy. Coupled with India’s heavy loss to Pakistan, England’s demolition of the West Indies now sees them join the Indians as 3/1 favourites. England’s bowling attack impressed in skittling the Windies for just 55, leaving their batters to knock off the runs in just over 8 overs. Bangladesh’s batters will feel a bit hard done by to have been on the losing side in their opener, posting 171-4 against Sri Lanka, only to see it chased down with 7 balls to spare.

Bangladesh Joy of 6

This market awards 25 points per 6 scored by any of three names players. Bangladesh’s three are Mohammad Naim, Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan, the top three batters. Despite the team’s big score, Bangladesh scored only two sixes against Sri Lanka, both hit by Mushfiqur Rahim. Bangladesh’s top three scored 88 between them without clearing the boundary, and with England’s bowling attack in top form, they could struggle again. Of course, if Bangladesh are chasing a total rather than setting one, they may be forced to throw the bat a bit earlier.