Burton - Blackburn: Battle for a place in the second round of the EFL Cup: who will advance?
Burton
On Saturday, August 8, we will see a first-round EFL Cup clash between Burton and Blackburn. The match kicks off at 16:00 CET, and I am offering a betting tip for it.
Burton - Blackburn: Match preview
This year, the Football Association of England decided to change certain aspects of the EFL Cup, with the competition starting earlier than usual. Teams will begin their EFL Cup campaigns one week before the Championship, League One and League Two seasons get underway. This gives the teams more time to prepare and approach the first round in better shape.
Burton competed in England's League One last season, where they endured a fairly mediocre campaign. The team collected 54 points from 46 matches and finished 17th in the table. They ended up five points clear of the relegation zone. During their preparations for the new competitive season, Burton played five friendlies, winning one, losing two and drawing two.
Blackburn are a Championship side and were fighting to avoid relegation last season. They collected 52 points from 46 matches and finished five points clear of the relegation zone. They managed to preserve their Championship status and will now prepare for another challenging campaign. During pre-season, they played five friendlies, losing just once, winning twice and drawing twice.
Match facts and H2H
- Burton have won just one of their last eight matches.
- Blackburn have lost just one of their last five matches.
- Blackburn play in the Championship, while Burton compete in League One.
- These teams have met twice, with both matches ending in draws.
Expected lineups
- Burton: Addai; Sibbick, Evans, Delap, Lofthouse; Krubally, Chauke, Kalinauskas, Armer; Shade, Beesley
- Blackburn: Toth; Alebiosu, Atcheson, McLoughlin, Ribeiro; Forshaw, Montgomery, Morishita; Cantwell, Gudjohnsen, Ohashi
Prediction
Both teams play in different divisions, but both were fighting to avoid relegation last season. I expect this to be a tight and low-scoring encounter, so I am offering a bet on under 2.5 total goals. The odds for this outcome are 1.76.
