EFL Cup – Manchester City vs Wycombe: Betting Preview

Manchester City begin the defense of their EFL Cup in a third-round clash against Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday.

After equaling Liverpool’s record of eight EFL Cups last term, Pep Guardiola’s side now aim to go one better. The reigning champions have won the title in each of the last four seasons. They’re in excellent form and will expect to progress to round form, even with a reserve team.

Fresh from their Championship relegation in 2020/21, Wycombe have begun life back in League One on a promising note. The Chairboys are in fifth position and just two points behind leaders Wigan, leaving them in the thick of the battle for promotion.

Let’s have a look at the form of both sides and the stats from their previous encounters to come up with a reasonable betting prediction.

Stats and analysis in the EFL Cup

As EFL Cup winners for the past four seasons, Manchester City have an excellent record. In their last 10 games in the competition, the Citizens hit the target 2.3 times on average per game, scoring 23 goals along the way. They have kept 3 clean sheets but conceded a mere 7 goals for an average of 0.7 per game.

Wycombe enter the match with a rather underwhelming record in comparison. The Chairboys have scored 10 goals in their last 10 EFL Cup fixtures for an average of 1.0 goals per game. They’ve kept 1 clean sheet and conceded 15 goals for an average of 1.5 per game.

Facts and figures for Manchester City vs Wycombe

Fun stats Manchester City

Fun stats Wycombe

Form Manchester City vs Wycombe

Manchester City look to continue their current momentum with another positive result. In their last 3 games, Pep Guardiola’s side managed to win 1-0 against Leicester before claiming a 6-3 win against RB Leipzig in the Champions League. Their last match ended in a dull 0-0 draw at Southampton.

It has been up and down for Wycombe going into this match as league results offer little sense of progress. In their last 3 games, Gareth Ainsworth’s side were easily beaten 3-1 by Sunderland, and a 0-0 draw with Oxford followed. In their last game, they claimed a 2-1 win against Charlton.

Manchester City v Wycombe – Fixture history

This is the first time that Manchester City and Wycombe will lock horns in the EFL Cup. The two clubs have faced other only twice before now in League One, claiming one win each. Their last meeting was back in November 1999, when Wycombe grabbed a slender 1-0 victory.

Top marksman

Man City will look to Riyad Mahrez to find the net once again. He is on 2 of their last 6 matches. Meanwhile, Garath McCleary has certainly delivered the goods for Wycombe in recent matches. Every opponent will have him singled out as a potential threat following the 2 goals he has managed in the previous 6 matches.