- Palace form: Crystal Palace have lost their last three games in all competitions, including a 4-1 home defeat to Manchester City.
- Boro form: Middlesbrough won 3-1 at home against West Bromwich before the 1-1 draw at Burnley.
Sage’s side in need of a reset
Need for reset
Crystal Palace will be desperate to reset after a disappointing run of three straight losses ahead of Middlesbrough's visit to Selhurst Park for this EFL Cup clash. Pierre Sage has struggled to get Eagles flying in his first months in charge and will want to shake up the team for this one.
Tactical identity
Sage has given Palace a clear identity since arriving at Selhurst Park on 1 July 2026. His teams play a high-regain system that triggers pressing from all ten outfield players, looking to win the ball back high up the pitch and break forward in numbers.
They do play some good football on their day and are always a threat in transition, but their most reliable source of goals right now is Matheus Franca, who has bagged three of Palace's five goals in the last five games.
Boro are better than the odds suggest
Boro are a much better bet than their odds suggest for this cup clash and Kim Hellberg's side should give the Eagles a real run for their money at Selhurst Park. The Boro won 3-1 against West Bromwich before a 1-1 draw with Burnley at the weekend, making it three wins, one draw and one defeat from their last five.
The Boro's overall record of 4-3-3 across their last 10 games in all competitions suggests they have the resolve to turn up and pull something out in this cup tie, and their away record of one win, two draws and two defeats from their five away games is good enough to suggest they can at least be competitive.
Middlesbrough's pressing style should suit them well in this cup match against a Palace side that likes to play on the front foot in either a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 formation. The Boro press in numbers and use their movement and positioning to create overloads in the half-spaces, and their ability to play vertically when on the break should see them get into plenty of counterattacking positions.
Opposing the hosts to cover the handicap
Backing Boro to keep this close to the odds suggests should be a solid bet here. Palace are a good side and should win this tie, but Boro are capable of making it a real game.
- Palace's last 10 games in all competitions reads four wins, one draw and five defeats, but that record should be viewed in the context of their recent slump.
- The Eagles should still win this match, but the Boro are on a much steadier run of 4 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats across their last 10 and the Boro's away goals record of seven goals from five away days points to the fact that they can outscore Palace on the night.
- Betting on the draw at 3.45 also appeals here as this clash could be tight for a while before the Premier League side takes control of the game.
