Port Vale will be aiming to maintain their impressive Carabao Cup run as they host Championship side Middlesbrough in a quarter-final clash on Tuesday. Neither team has been at their best in recent weeks but Boro will be relying on their superior quality and should have the upper hand over the League One side, who have been slightly unconvincing at home lately.
It has been an impressive Carabao Cup campaign for Port Vale so far as they are the only League One side left in the competition. They claimed a 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town to book their place in Tuesday’s clash.
While manager Andrew Crosby will be pleased with Port Vale’s Cup run, it has been in contrast to their League One form, which has been erratic at best. The Valiants have picked up just two wins from their last seven matches across all competitions, although one of those victories came last weekend as they triumphed 3-2 over Wigan Athletic in a League Two fixture.
Port Vale have also been unconvincing at home lately with the victory over Wigan their first in six matches across all competitions. Defending had been a major problem as they have conceded nine goals in that run while throwing away the lead several times.
Like Port Vale, Middlesbrough have also used the Carabao Cup as a welcome distraction from their erratic Championship form. They have accounted for the exits of two League One sides already, claiming a 3-2 victory over Exeter City in the previous round.
Middlesbrough do not head to Vale Park in the best form having claimed just two wins in their last six matches across all competitions. However, one of those wins came last weekend as they triumphed 2-1 at Swansea City in a Championship fixture on Saturday.
That victory over Swansea is an extension of a solid away record for Middlesbrough, who are unbeaten in seven of their last nine matches on the road. They have claimed six wins in that run but are without a clean sheet in the last five.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Middlesbrough as overwhelming favourites with a win priced at evens with 888Sport. Port Vale are considered outsiders at 11/4 with Unibet while bet365 is offering odds of 14/5 for a draw.
Heat to head
Middlesbrough have claimed three wins and lost just once in four previous matches against Port Vale. However, the last meeting between both sides was a Championship clash back in 1998 which ended 1-0 in favour of Boro.
Players to watch
Ethan Chiset could be the one to watch for Port Vale having netted a hat-trick in the win over Wigan last Saturday. The attacker also has two goals in the Carabao Cup and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Emmanuel Latte Lath has three goals in his last five matches and could be worth keeping an eye on for Middlesbrough. The forward has also found the net in the last two Carabao Cup matches and is priced at 7/4 by bet365 to get on the score sheet once again.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams saw over 3.5 goals in their fixtures in the previous round and a repeat is priced at 15/8 with Paddy Power. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 7/10 with William Hill, who is also offering odds of 4/6 on both teams to score.
Middlesbrough have scored in both halves in three of their four Carabao Cup matches and could be set for a similar pattern at 15/8 with Paddy Power.
This EFL Cup match between Port Vale and Middlesbrough will be played on Dec 19, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Port Vale vs Middlesbrough prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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