Kick-off: 1945, 24/08/2021
Stadium: The Dunes Hotel Stadium
TV: Sky Sports
Barrow will be fired up for their big EFL Cup clash with Aston Villa but Dean Smith does tend to take these kinds of ties seriously.
Villa reached the final two seasons ago and breezed through trips to Burton and Bristol City in the early rounds last term.
We’re snapping up 6/5 for the visitors to win by more than one clear goal for our first Barrow vs Aston Villa prediction.
A Look At Barrow’s Betting Odds
Barrow acquitted themselves well in knockout competitions last term after gaining promotion to League Two, without having much luck.
They only lost on penalties at Derby in this tournament and missed out in another shoot-out versus AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup.
However, this represents a more daunting test for a team currently 16th in their own division with four points from as many matches.
Bluebirds boss Mark Cooper was annoyed by lapses in concentration after his team surrendered the lead in a 2-1 loss at Harrogate on Saturday.
“There were a lot of mistakes made by us out there,” he moaned. “We tried to be clever in the middle of the pitch when we were being pressed.”
Barrow managed to beat fellow strugglers Scunthorpe 1-0 in the previous round but look out of their depth here.
Looking at the Barrow vs Aston Villa odds, we like 21/20 for an away win and over 2.5 goals in the game.
A Look At Aston Villa’s Betting Odds
Good things are expected of Villa this term after finishing 11th in the Premier League and then reinvesting the money brought in by Jack Grealish’s departure.
Smith blasted his side following a 3-2 loss at Watford first up but was far happier with Saturday’s 2-0 home win over Newcastle.
Danny Ings struck with an overhead kick in first-half stoppage time before Anwar El Ghazi notched a 62nd-minute penalty to double the lead.
Speaking to VillaTV, Smith said: “It wasn’t a brilliant performance by any stretch of the imagination but it was a really good result.
“It’s always important to get that first win, especially at home, and it was nice to battle to get that win.”
Smith will make changes here but Matt Targett and Conor Hourihane were unused substitutes over the weekend while Axel Tuanzebe and Wesley only came on for the closing stages, so the strength in depth is there.
Villa began their EFL Cup campaign two seasons ago with a 6-1 romp at Crewe before knocking out Brighton, Wolves, Liverpool and Leicester.
Last term, they prevailed 3-1 at Burton and 3-0 at Bristol City in the opening rounds, so the omens look good for a convincing victory.
Early goals have been a regular theme so 3/1 for the visitors to be ahead after 15:00 minutes is added to our Barrow vs Aston Villa betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
Harrogate 2-1 BARROW – Offrande Zanzala
ASTON VILLA 2-0 Newcastle – Danny Ings, Anwar El Ghazi
Head-to-head: N/A
Join bwin today and receive up to £20 money back as a FreeBet if your first wager (3+ selections at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater) is a loser! Terms and conditions apply.
