Leeds United v Norwich City Betting Tips

This is a huge opportunity for both of these Championship clubs to reach the next round of the League Cup and draw a potential giant. Having said that, it would not surprise me if both managers chose to rotate their squad.

Leeds United manager Garry Monk was apparently under pressure a few weeks ago (but then again, who is not under pressure at Leeds with Massimo Cellino around) but the former Swansea boss has managed to turn the Whites form around.

This turnaround has been particularly evident at home with Leeds picking up 10 out of a possible 12 points in their recent league matches at Elland Road.

The Yorkshire side are currently 10th in the table and have a relatively young squad which may hinder their play-off chances but, if Leeds can keep this vibrant side together and free of injuries, there is no reason why they cannot sustain a somewhat surprising promotion challenge.

A further bonus for Leeds in this match is their excellent home record in the League Cup. The Whites have not lost at Elland Road in this competition since defeat to Chelsea in 2012 and before that this record stretched back to 2011 when they suffered defeat at the hands of rivals Manchester United.

What is particularly evident during this run is that, unless they face a much-higher calibre of opposition, Leeds tend to come out on top.

After five wins and one loss in the six fixtures before the international break, Norwich have lost a lot of their consistency. Although they did win the first two matches after the break, since then they have drawn and lost against mid-table sides Fulham and Preston North End respectively.

The Canaries form at home at Carrow Road has been excellent since relegation with just the one loss. The reason they are not sitting in the automatic promotion spots has been their away form which in the last three matches has yielded a loss, a win and a draw – no consistency on the road in recent weeks.

Like Leeds, Alex Neil’s team have a good record at home in the League Cup and tend to win most of their matches in Norwich, however, they are a mixed bag when they are drawn away from Carrow Road, but do tend to lose more than they win.

Goals are certainly not a problem for Norwich with the Canaries the second-highest goalscorers in the division with 26. It is their leaky defence which is contributing to their dip in form with even most of the teams in mid-table having a better goals against record than Norwich who have conceded 19.

The head-to-head record makes good reading for Leeds fans with their side having won more than 50% of matches against Norwich at home.

Given the above information, it is no surprise here that I am going for a Leeds United win at 15/8. However, I also think that, with Leeds’ suspect defence at home (which has only kept one clean sheet in the league since their 0-0 draw with now-promoted Middlesbrough back in February) combined with Norwich’s excellent front-line, both teams should get on the scoresheet. I would combine this with the above ‘Leeds to Win’ bet at 9/2.

If you are perhaps looking for something a little different and more in Norwich’s favour, I would go with ‘Josh Murphy to Score Anytime’ for the Canaries at 5/1.

With rotation likely to be on the agenda for both teams, I imagine Norwich boss Alex Neil will give the young winger a full run out on Tuesday night. The academy graduate has been in good form this season with impressive appearances off the bench in the league as well as an excellent goal return in cup competitions. The 21-year-old already has six goals in just four cup matches this season and I would expect him to enhance his growing reputation against Leeds.

See more EFL Cup tips here.