- Leyton Orient are a long and lean team with plenty of quality who have won three of their last five, including a 5-0 away win over Bromley at the weekend after surviving a shootout at Walsall in the previous cup round.
- Bradford City are a shorter and stronger team than the O's who have won six and lost four of their last 10 in all competitions, but they have lost their last two games in a row.
- Leyton Orient have lost their last two home matches, so they will need to come out on the front foot at BetWright Stadium.
O’s can open up Bantams in cup tie
The market makes Bradford City favourites at 73/50 to win on Tuesday, but Leyton Orient are not far behind at 33/20 with the draw priced at 12/5. The match looks pretty close to a toss-up with Bradford coming off a losing streak and the O's fresh from a 5-0 away victory, but the home side will need to make a stronger start.
Richie Wellens has done a great job at Leyton Orient since taking over in March 2022 and his 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 set-up is quite similar to the one Graham Alexander has played since November 2023 at Bradford. Orient like to build from the back and use their width to stretch the game, while Bradford will look to win the ball high up and transition quickly through the middle of the park.
Orient will be the more controlled team and should keep the game tidy enough, but the match of styles between these two teams is Control vs Chaos. Bradford have the more intense pressing game and will make Orient work for the ball, but they will get forward quickly and can be very dangerous in transition.
O’s have a little bit more quality
Leyton Orient have won five, drawn one and lost four of their last 10 games in all competitions and that's a pretty good but not great record that reflects their average quality. Bradford have won six and lost four of their last 10 which indicates a little more upside, but less consistency and a run to the third round of the Carabao Cup.
It seems odd that Bradford are the favourites when the O's have won two of their three games this season - the other being a penalty shootout - while Bradford have lost two of their four. The O's are coming into this after a weekend away win, while Bradford arrive on the back of two defeats.
Bradford have played a cup game this season - a cup draw that was followed by two league defeats at Plymouth and at home to Cambridge. Leyton Orient have a penalty shootout cup escape at Walsall and a 5-0 win over National League side Bromley.
Bradford’s road record is poor
Bradford have scored only three away goals in all competitions this term, averaging 0.75 per road game. Leyton Orient average 1.33 goals per home game and have conceded 1.67 at Brisbane Road, so there ought to be goals in this and a draw looks the safest play given both teams are priced pretty short for a third round tie.
Yusuf Akhamrich has scored three of Orient's eight goals in the last five games so if you're going to back an anytime goalscorer, it's the O's hot hand that you should take. This looks like a close, scrappy cup tie with neither team playing their best football, so a Bradford win, which is a pretty short odds for a cup-tie, seems a bit off in this market.
