Brentford vs Cheltenham Predictions

Brentford’s good Championship start took a hit at the weekend, but can they bounce back with a midweek win? The Bees are facing Cheltenham in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, as they look to book a place in the third round of the competition. They’re heavy favourites against lower league opposition, so many are expecting a comfortable win for the home side. However, it seems clear that they have their attention elsewhere, with a top six push in the Championship their main goal this term. Will they sacrifice this competition in order to boost their Premier League ambitions?

The hosts are likely to make changes for this encounter, as they did for their first round win over Southend. The Bees haven’t got the deepest squad, but they still need to keep their key stars fresh for their league campaign. The EFL Cup certainly won’t be a priority at this stage, as Brentford have been looking to stabilise in the second tier before kicking on. They’ve laid the foundations for a play-off push, and they’re going to be considering that ahead of this clash, rather than looking to make up for their weekend loss.

Cheltenham have an entirely different view, as the League Cup represents a opportunity for escape. The visitors are left 20th in League two ahead of this game, barely above the drop zone. They’ve got a lot of work to do in the league, but they can focus away from that on Tuesday. Visiting Brentford is a free hit for this struggling squad but can they come here and cause a shock?

Facing a weakened Brentford side is an opportunity for Cheltenham to cause problems. They’re fresh from a 1-0 win at Cambridge, which is a chance for them to turn around their fortunes. That continued some great scoring form on the road, as they make this trip having found the net in nine of their last 10 away trips. They’ve scored in six of eight away trips in this competition, and they’ll be looking to cause problems for a Brentford side who are likely to have an eye on a key meeting with Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

However, the way Brentford’s squad is set up, they have players who can come in and impress up front. They’ve got a set style of play, and their replacements will fit in to that. The Bees put four goals past Southend in the last round, and they’ve scored in 10 successive home matches. We’re going with both teams to score on Tuesday night, while we see the hosts picking up a 2-1 win to progress in to the next round.