The EFL Cup is also known as the English League Cup and is played with knockout matches except for the semi-final, which has two legs — teams playing home and away. These knockout matches, especially the ones with a surprise at the final whistle, are always the perfect opportunity to place online sports bets.

The EFL Cup has been known over the years by a variety of different names: Milk Cup, Rumbelows Cup, Worthington Cup, Coca-Cola, Carling Cup, and Capital One Cup. Beverage supplier Carabao is the current sponsor, and therefore, you might hear the EFL Cup being referred to as the Carabao Cup.

The trophy for winning in February

The EFL Cup is a competition that starts very early in the season, with the first round of matches taking place in August. It is often good to bet on the exploits of underdogs in the first rounds when all the teams are not yet at their best.

Winning the EFL Cup in February acts as a great confidence booster since the winning team lifts the trophy just before the major European games get underway as they enter the final third of the league.

Although the FA Cup is considered the main domestic cup competition for English teams, the League Cup is still a great way for managers and teams to fill their cupboards with some extra silverware. Make bets on the FA Cup with bwin.

A ticket to the Europa League for the winner

The winners of the EFL Cup qualify for the Europa League for the following season. This ticket to Europe with 4-5 wins has made winning the EFL competition even more attractive.

Consequently, the biggest Premier League teams have started to take this tournament seriously over the last few seasons. You can make Premier League sports bets on teams that have squads with strength in depth.

Recommended EFL Cup Betting

While many top clubs only take the competition seriously from the quarter-finals onwards, clubs in the lower divisions see it as a chance to compete with the big clubs and maybe get a big win.

Depending on the form and the team lined up on the field, a bet on the EFL Cup often favours the top teams with large squads. In the early rounds of the competition, the big teams often put out their second 11s to carry the club flag

Some of the most popular bets include the score at halftime, the goalscorer at any time, and the superior/inferior goal total. If you are familiar with the lower divisions of English football, this can give you a significant advantage in making winning bets in EFL Cup games with more favourable odds.