Betting guide for Carling Cup

The League Cup is a knockout competition played by all 92 English football league clubs. Teams in The Championship, League One and League Two enter the competition at the first round stage which kicks off soon after the football season starts in August. Premier League teams enter the competition at the second and third round stages.

All League Cup games are single elimination ties meaning if a game finishes in a draw the game is settled in either extra time or penalties on the night, avoiding a replay. The semi-final of the league cup is the only round to be played over two-legs with the eventual League Cup final being played at Wembley in February, it is the first English football final of the football season.

Carling Cup betting is very competitive, bookmakers find it difficult to know whether or not Premier League teams are giving the competition a priority within their season. Recent winners of the League Cup include Chelsea and Manchester United, both of whom could have been backed at the earlier stages of the competition at prices as big as 13/2 in the outright antepost betting market.

Betting on Carling Cup Matches

Apart from the final all League cup ties are played midweek which provides fans of football betting the opportunity to have a bet in between weekends, traditionally the most popular time of the week for football betting.

At least two League Cup games at each round are shown live on TV allowing for more betting opportunities to be offered by online bookmakers for these games. Live Betting football in-play is becoming increasingly popular during live football matches with bookmakers changing odds during the game, allowing fans to bet on various markets as the game unfolds. The most popular types of in-play bets include match bet winner, next goalscorer and final correct score.