EFL Trophy kids to prevail
The EFL Trophy is always a difficult puzzle to work out, so looking at every angle can pay dividends. Accrington Stanley host Liverpool U21 this week, with the fate of both sides already determined. Accrington will progress, while Liverpool are out already, and that could open a chance for some value in this.
Accrington surely have bigger priorities than this match given they are already through, and will almost certainly top the group regardless of the outcome in this one. It’s hard to see anything other than a considerably shuffled squad which could include a few youngsters.
For Liverpool, the team is likely to be much the same as previous games, and they have to have a chance here as a result at a tasty 10/3.
It’s also tempting to side with a very talented Man City outfit at a Bolton side who will potentially look quite similar to that which was getting regularly hammered at the start of the season. With a threadbare squad, Keith Hill has to be pretty careful where he prioritises, and I’m not convinced this is a tournament he will really want to be distracted with.
You could make the case that League One is gone, and this gives them the best possible chance of something good happening to the club, but the reality is that while survival is still possible (and remember results have been improving recently) they have to focus on the league. Even if you take that view though, we’re talking about a City Youth side who have won both their previous matches and been backed in the market ahead of each, while the depth of the first team squad ensures none of their talented U21s end up in their Carabao Cup senior team.
City are top of the Premier League U18 table, although somewhat worse in the Premier League 2 table, so it’s hard to make out exactly what we might see. I’m inclined to believe they go off shorter than the 5/4 currently available on the Citizens.
Finally, while we’re looking at Premier League sides winning, I’m going to give Leicester a chance at Grimsby, who are another who may well be prioritising elsewhere. Defeats to Sunderland and Scunthorpe have left Grimsby on 0 points after two matches, and qualification is now beyond them. With pretty inconsistent form in League Two, it would be no surprise at all to see the Mariners make changes here to ensure a clean bill of health for a long trip to Plymouth come the weekend.
Recent results have not been kind at all for Grimsby – just two wins from their last 13 outings, including firing blanks in six. We’ve often focussed on men against boys in this column over the past couple of seasons, but there are decent enough reasons to fancy at least a couple of wins from the youngsters on Tuesday night, so let’s settle on these three and see how we get on.
1pt Liverpool U21 to beat Accrington at 10/3 (Bet365)
1pt Man City U21 to beat Bolton at 5/4 (Ladbrokes)
1pt Leicester U21 to beat Grimsby at 17/10 (Bet Victor and Corals)