Bitesize Prediction: Carlisle vs Stoke – 13/08/24

Competition: EFL Cup

Market: Stoke win

Odds: 2/3 @ BetUS

Turning their attention to EFL Cup action on Tuesday night, Stoke will travel to Brunton Park when they meet Carlisle.

Starting with the hosts, enduring what was a public League One crisis last season as they lost their third-tier status with a real whimper, Carlisle find themselves at the heart of an extended crisis. Getting life in League Two underway over the weekend with another nightmare performance as they slumped to a 4-1 drumming away at Gillingham, Paul Simpson’s men could be set for another relegation scrap this time around. Signing off the 2023/24 campaign with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Derby on April 27th and losing all of their final three League One appearances by an aggregate score of 6-1, the Cumbrians have continued to gain a reputation for their glaring defensive issues. In fact, Tuesday’s hosts have recorded just a sole clean sheet across any competition since the end of February. It should also be highlighted, Simpson’s downbeat squad have remarkably not registered a sole win at Brunton Park since way back on New Year’s Day.

As for the visitors, while Stoke might have found themselves scrapping it out at the foot of the Championship table for large spells of last season, Steven Schumacher’s men do appear to have turned a recent corner. Signing off the 2023/24 campaign with a stellar 4-0 romp at home against Bristol City on May 4th, the Potters won all of their final three appearances by an aggregate score of 8-0. With the mood in their camp at a real high, the former Plymouth boss saw his side lay down an early marker over the weekend. Getting proceedings underway with an eye-catching 1-0 win against Coventry, Stoke will be relishing a trip to Brunton Park on Tuesday night. Now losing just one of their previous eight showdowns against Championship opposition on either side of the summer break, Schumacher’s side are rightfully pencilled in as a standout contender here. With the mood in their respective camps at a polar opposite, we are backing an away win in midweek.

Bet: Stoke 2/3 to beat Carlisle in Tuesday’s EFL Cup battle @ BetUS