Northampton Town v West Bromwich Albion is hardly the most glamorous tie in this League Cup second round, however, there is good value on the market for this fixture.
Following their astounding promotion campaign last season, Northampton have not started their League One campaign in great fashion having failed to win a single match in four attempts, however, they are undefeated with their four drawn results.
Their only win so far this season came away at Barnsley in the League Cup. A good result but it is questionable how motivated Barnsley were for the tie with Championship survival an absolute priority for the Tykes.
Not the most exciting team to watch but nice and predictable it seems.
West Brom have had a mixed start to the campaign with an win away at Crystal Palace before a defeat at home to Everton. Manager Tony Pulis has made it clear in recent weeks that he is still desperate to bring new faces into the squad with only Matt Phillips joining the club so far during this summer transfer window.
Albion fans are starting to feel that, with their Premier League status pretty much a guarantee every season, they should finally start having a go in the cups. The League Cup presents the perfect opportunity to do so as many of the big sides fall at the early stages. We have seen Birmingham City and Swansea take advantage of this to achieve glory in recent years.
Tony Pulis would usually select a weakened side for a cup match, however, perhaps he has ambitions in the League Cup this season. Additionally, the Welshman does not really have the depth of squad to easily rotate for cup matches and as such may be forced to pick a stronger squad.
I think the Baggies will have too much for the Cobblers and they should win this fixture fairly comfortably. You can get this at Evens which I feel is a decent price.
Rumours regarding Saido Berahino’s future at the Hawthorns have been doing the rounds for years now and quite frankly it has become boring. Tony Pulis has insisted that the England U21 international will be staying put unless a ridiculous offer comes in.
Berahino is likely to play some part in this fixture whilst Salomon Rondon is rested as we see a similar scenario to when he played against Gateshead in the FA Cup last season. The Burundi-born striker was throwing a strop at the club but still scored four goals in that match.
You can get Berahino to score anytime at 6/4, another worthwhile punt.
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