If you are looking for reliable Carabao Cup tips and expert predictions throughout the competition, this guide gives you clear insights, analysis, and betting angles you can use to make smarter selections.
On this page, we break down everything you need to know, including how we generate our Carabao Cup football tips, the key factors that influence cup football, and how to identify valuable betting opportunities at every stage of the competition.
Who will win the Carabao Cup?
Four teams remain in the Carabao Cup, with Arsenal taking on Chelsea and Man City taking on Newcastle in the semi-finals.
Arsenal came out 3-2 winners at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their tie, while Manchester City also managed an away victory, coming out 2-0 winners in the North East.
Second leg ties take place on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th February.
Carabao Cup Outright Odds
When do you release your Carabao Cup predictions?
We aim to give our readers plenty of time to check our betting tips for upcoming Carabao Cup matches and, as such, we look to get these tips live between 24 and 48 hours before kick-off. However, that time frame can fluctuate on occasion due to fixture congestion. You’ll find our best tips for the Carabao Cup on this page during every round, and for the biggest matches we’ll even have specially-picked match previews, written by our Squawka Bet experts who have extensive knowledge of teams across the four divisions.
Carabao Cup key dates
Preliminary Round takes place week commencing 4 August 2025
Round One takes place week commencing 11 August 2025
Round Two takes place week commencing 25 August 2025
Round Three takes place week commencing 15 September and week commencing 22 September 2025
Round Four takes place week commencing 27 October 2025
Round Five takes place week commencing 15 December 2025
Semi Final first legs take place week commencing 12 January 2026
Semi Final second legs take place week commencing 2 February 2026
The Carabao Cup Final takes place on Sunday 22 March 2026
Carabao Cup In-play betting tips
Due to the unpredictable nature of cup football, punters can often find joy when making in-play bets on the Carabao Cup.
This particular method of wagering allows you to tailor your bets to the unfolding action, regardless of whether it’s two League One clubs going at it or a Premier League giant taking on a lower-league minnow.
Popular Carabao Cup betting markets
The Carabao Cup’s mix of rotations, tactical changes, and knockout pressure creates a variety of betting opportunities. Here are the markets most commonly featured in our Carabao Cup tips.
Correct score
A high risk but rewarding market. Cup fixtures can shift quickly, making this a challenging but valuable option, especially in tightly matched games. Correct score bets apply to 90 minutes unless stated.
Over 2.5 goals
One of the most popular Carabao Cup bets.
Cup ties often feature open football, rotated defences, and plenty of attacking intent, making high scoring matches common. You only need three goals in total, regardless of who scores.
First scorer and anytime scorer
Useful in matches involving squad rotation, where emerging players or attackers with strong cup form offer extra value.
To Qualify
A simple way to bet on which team will progress to the next round. This removes the need to predict the exact result or scoreline and is especially useful in close matchups.
Carabao Cup Accumulators
Given the research and knowledge that backs up our Carabao Cup Tips, you can now feel confident in placing an accumulator. This is a bet that combines your selections from several different matches for even better value. You can choose different markets on different matches, should you wish, but most punters decide to stick to the same markets, perhaps backing 10 different teams from five games to find the net in a Carabao Cup BTTS accumulator.
Best bookmakers for the Carabao Cup
So many bookmakers offer a huge depth of markets and leagues now, but every major bookmaker will offer odds on the Carabao Cup, from the early stages right through to the final. We’ve scoured them all and selected the following five as our favourites, due to a combination of excellent new customer offers, competitive odds and the strength of their app and customer service.
- Fantastic Promotions
- Fun Social Media Content
- New Bookmaker
#AD 18+ *New customers only. Bet £5+ in a single real-money bet within 7 days of registration to receive £20 in Free Bets and 2 Rocket Odds Boosts, credited within 24 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Free Bets and Rocket Odds Boosts expire 7 days after credit. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply. 18+. Gambleaware.org
- Bet £10 get £30
- Great for ESports
- Modern Betting Platform
- Uniquely Designed Sportsbook
#AD 18+ New customers only. Place a £10+ bet at min odds 1/1 (2.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get £30 in Free Bets, valid for 7 days on selected bets only. Free stake not returned with winnings. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
- Enhanced Offers
- Extensive Bet-Builder
- Very Competitive Odds
#AD 18+ New customers: Deposit £10+ within 7 days and place a sports bet. Get 4 x £10 Free Bets (2 x £10 Bet Builders & 2 x £10 Sports Bet). Valid 7 days. Min odds apply. Excludes virtual sports, esports and non-UK/IE horse racing. 18+. T&Cs apply.
- Bet £10 get £40
- Enhanced Offers
- Fantastic Promotions
- Super Fast Withdrawals
#AD 18+ New customers online only. Only valid with code B10G40 on registration. Bet a min £/€10 at odds of 1/1 (2.0) across sports or racing within 7 days of registration. Receive £/€20 Tote Credit, £/€10 Free Sports Bet and 2 x £/€5 Bet Builder within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool or sports bet added to bet slip. Voided/non-runner bets will not qualify; subsequent bet will be qualifying bet. 7-day expiry. 18+. One per customer. Selected customers only. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org.
Which other competitions do you offer tips for?
Of course, it’s not just the Carabao Cup we cover in such detail at Squawka Bet. We aim to cover all the major leagues across Europe and the UK in particular, as well as key UEFA competitions and international football. Find the latest tips for each of these competitions below.
- Champions League
- FA Cup
- League Cup
- Europa League
- Bundesliga
- Serie A
- La Liga
- League One
- League Two
- Championship
- Nations League
Carabao Cup offers & free bets
When it gets to the latter stages of the Carabao Cup, you’re always likely to find enticing new customer offers, with huge enhancements afforded to punters looking to back a favourite against an underdog. If none of those take your fancy however, or if you’re already a customer with the offering bookmaker, then there are plenty of other ways to pick up price boosts, with many firms offering boosted odds ahead of every fixture in this competition. There is of course always the opportunity to take advantage of a bookmakers’ generic new customer offer too – which can allow you to start your Carabao Cup betting journey with some free bets.
Frequently Asked Questions About the EFL Cup
The EFL Cup is an annual knockout football competition open to all clubs in the Premier League and the English Football League. It provides an opportunity for silverware and allows clubs to give playing time to squad players.
The competition starts with early knockout rounds and progresses through single-leg matches. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with the final held as a one-off match at Wembley Stadium
All 92 clubs from the Premier League and the EFL are eligible. Lower league clubs enter in the early rounds, while Premier League teams involved in European competitions join at later stages.
The EFL Cup winner receives the trophy and a spot in the play-off round of the next season’s UEFA Europa Conference League, providing a route into European football.
Many clubs rotate squads because they prioritise the league or other competitions. The EFL Cup gives younger or fringe players an opportunity to play while allowing key players to rest.
Yes, all rounds are single-leg fixtures except the semi-finals, which are played over two legs. The final is also a single match.
The final is typically held in February or March each season at Wembley Stadium.