EFL Cup Quarterfinals Odds & Picks Dec 23: Stoke vs Tottenham & Everton vs Man U

• The quarterfinals of the EFL Cup conclude on Wednesday, with the remaining two ties
• Championship side Stoke hosts Tottenham, while Everton welcomes Manchester United to Goodison Park
• Get the full odds for both of these fixtures with previews and best bets below

The EFL Cup has reached the quarterfinal stage with games on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. On Tuesday night it is Brentford vs Newcastle and Arsenal vs Manchester City, but we are concentrating on Wednesday where Tottenham travel to Stoke and Everton take on Manchester United.

We will preview both games, look at the odds, and see if we can identify where the value is.

Stoke vs Tottenham EFL Cup Odds

Stoke vs Tottenham

Stoke City has, over the last year, been transformed by the appointment of former Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill. From Championship strugglers to genuine promotion hopefuls, the Ulsterman has turned them into an effective unit who will test Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham team.

The teams come into this off the back of differing fortunes at the weekend, with Stoke earning a hard-fought 1-0 over Blackburn, which took them to joint-sixth, while Tottenham suffered a disappointing 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Leicester City. As a result, Spurs dropped down to sixth in the EPL, six points behind leaders Liverpool.

😅 We hang on to claim that 𝗪!#SCFC 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/xuwK2PgnCB

— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) December 19, 2020

The last time these two faced each other was in 2018 when Stoke was still a Premier League team and Spurs won 2-1 – goals from Christian Eriksen, now at Inter Milan, and Harry Kane – and it is Spurs who unsurprisingly lead in the matchups between these two. In 21 games, Tottenham Hotspur has won 12 and Stoke six.

Mourinho has a few injury concerns to manage with Giovani Lo Celso likely to miss out after limping off in the Leicester game and Erik Lamela and Japhet Tanganga definitely ruled out, but with Gareth Bale, Harry Winks, Carlos Vinicius, Lucas Moura, Matt Doherty, Joe Hart, Dele Alli, Steven Bergwijn, Ben Davies and Joe Rodon all still available, squad rotation is not a problem for Spurs.

Next up ➡️ back in Carabao Cup action at Stoke. #THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/QQChqcMNVM

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 21, 2020

For Stoke, the news that in-form striker Tyrese Campbell will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury is a big blow and Lee Gregory and Sam Clucas also miss out, but O’Neill does have both target men – Steven Fletcher and Sam Vokes – available; both of whom will cause Spurs problems if they can be given a plentiful supply of crosses.

So, Spurs can expect a tough one but it is a task made slightly easier by Stoke’s home advantage being diluted by there being no fans inside the bet365 Stadium. As a result, I expect Spurs’ extra quality and depth to just be enough to see them through.

Pick: Spurs to win (-190)

Everton vs Manchester United EFL Cup Odds

Everton vs Manchester United

Everton’s flying start to the season appeared to have hit the buffers but a recent upturn in form and fortunes – three wins on the spin – has seen them re-enter the EPL title race. The Toffees are now in a good place and will head into this one with confidence, especially after having beaten both Chelsea and Arsenal this month; the latter being achieved at the weekend.

💙 | “Everton is a beautiful club. The place is a family, a real family – and passionate. The ultimate aim is to be fighting at the top of the table, fighting for titles, to be competitive in Europe.”

🗨️ @MrAncelotti pic.twitter.com/YJigjOQiWt

— Everton (@Everton) December 21, 2020

Manchester United too have had a good couple of weeks after an inconsistent November and, like Everton, have dragged themselves back into the EPL title race. An outstanding 6-2 victory against Leeds United at the weekend will have been the perfect preparation for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, who will see the League Cup as an ideal route to deliver the club its first major trophy since 2016-17.

Eyes on Wednesday night 👀#MUFC #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/Txmvt69MTK

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 22, 2020

United’s record against Everton is a winning one with 89 victories in their 204 games compared to Everton’s 70, their most recent being the comfortable 3-1 win at Goodison in early November when the Toffees were on the receiving end of a Bruno Fernandes masterclass.

This remains, however, a tricky one to call, with both teams having rallied after a difficult spell. Carlo Ancelotti is a wily operator in the Everton technical area and will have learned lots from the defeat in November. The Toffees will test United here and it could even be one that needs penalties to separate the teams.

Pick: Everton and Manchester United to draw after 90 minutes (+265)