- Watford have won three of their last five games and they come into this Carabao Cup tie with back-to-back wins.
- Peterborough United have won one of their last five and arrive lacking momentum.
Cup should not be a walkover for the Hornets
With a goal and a point to prove, Watford should make their class tell against a Peterborough United side that have won only one of their last five fixtures when the EFL Cup returns to Vicarage Road Stadium on Tuesday.
The odds suggest that there should only be one result in this fixture with the Hornets odds-on at 13/25 and the Posh available at a huge 9/2 with the draw priced at 67/20, but it could be a bit closer than that. Alessio Dionisi's team are not quite as solid as they would like to be and are susceptible to the odd counterattack, but they should be able to handle a Posh side that is equally inconsistent.
In all competitions, the home side have three wins, six defeats and one draw from their ten, a mixed return that does not reflect the two back-to-back victories they have picked up in their most recent games. The first of those was a 1-0 home win over National League side Crawley Town in the first round of the cup, which was followed by a superb 2-1 win over Southampton last time out.
Visitors may have to settle for a point
Alessio Dionisi's side are fluid and adaptable in their style of play, which can be possession-based or break-based depending on who they are up against. The Italian has been clever in his team selection and is getting a good balance of shape-shifting and quick transitions in the front third, which is giving the hosts a sharp edge to their play.
Luke Williams has set Posh up in a very direct, transition-heavy style that has them pressing high and using the front two to get away in numbers. It can be extremely effective, but their lack of possession dominance is a liability against a good side.
The visitors' last ten in all competitions reads 1 win, 3 draws and 6 defeats, so there's not much to get excited about in terms of their form. They have won just one of their four away matches this season, but that is against Bristol Rovers while their defeat came against a strong Bradford City team. Harry Leonard is their danger man, having scored two of their total of two goals in the last five, but the visitors have averaged just 0.75 goals scored and conceded 2.00 per game on their travels.
Over 2.5 at 11/20 is a low-priced bet that could still make a profit with the likelihood of both teams scoring at 31/50 still looking good. Watford are the strong pick to win here, but the Cup is a funny game and the Posh may have to be content with a single point on their visit to Vicarage Road.
