Leeds v Middlesbrough tips
Brenden Aaronson to have one or more shots on target
A penalty to be awarded? Yes
Middlesbrough to Win & over 2.5 goals
Wednesday 8pm: Leeds v Middlesbrough
Carabao Cup match at Elland Road
TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football
Brenden Aaronson to have 1+ shots on target
Brenden Aaronson proved himself the hero and the villain in Leeds’s opening-day draw against newly-promoted Portsmouth, scoring an injury-time equaliser before spurning a glorious chance to win the game even later in the game.
The American midfielder has already matched his league tally for the 2022/23 season – his only other domestic season with Leeds since joining in 2022 – while he is also one goal shy of his tally for last season when he was on loan at Union Berlin.
It didn’t quite work out for Aaronson in his maiden campaign in England, but a stint in the Championship may do him the world of good and he may just find his form during the campaign.
Aaronson averaged 0.6 shots per game for Union last season, not world-beating figures by any means but enough to suggest that he is not shy of having a go, especially now that he is competing at a lower level.
Leeds had 22 shots and 10 efforts on target in their 3-3 draw with Portsmouth. They may not reach such lofty figures against Middlesbrough on Wednesday, but they still should record a significant number and Aaronson is decent value to be responsible for at least one effort on goal.
A Penalty to be awarded? Yes
Both Leeds and Boro had their fair share of penalty drama on the opening day.
Boro’s 1-0 win over Swansea came courtesy of Emmanuel Latte Lathe’s 25th-minute penalty, while Michael Carrick’s side ranked seventh in terms of penalties received in the 2023/24 campaign.
Leeds, meanwhile, also opened their Championship account for the 2024/25 season with a penalty, courtesy of Pascal Strujk’s 10th-minute spot kick.
Daniel Farke’s side were almost undone by a penalty at the other end when Portsmouth’s Callum Lang converted in second half stoppage time to put Pompey 3-2 ahead.
Leeds won the second-most penalties in the division last season, receiving nine throughout the Championship season and you’d fancy another pen to be awarded here.
Middlesbrough & over 2.5 goals
Speaking frankly, neither Boro nor Leeds will put too much priority on this League Cup clash – or the tournament in general.
Leeds, who face an away trip to West Brom on Saturday, will be aiming to right the wrongs of last season when they lost out on promotion after losing to Southampton in the play-off final.
Boro, on the other hand, who face a trip to newly-promoted Derby County at the weekend, will be hoping to win promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2017 after losing out in the play-offs in 2023 and narrowly missing out on the top six last season.
Neither side will want to distract from their promotion campaigns with a cup run for a tournament that they have little chance of winning.
Granted, Boro did reach the semi-finals last season, but they received a rude awakening in the semi-final second leg against Chelsea.
Both sides are thus likely to rest some players, turning this into a battle of players with a point to prove.
Boro are arguably in a better position following a winning start to the season and a series of promising cup runs in recent seasons that saw them reach the last four of the League Cup last season and the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2022.
They can pull off a big win, but may need to score at least twice to do so, taking Leeds’s gung-ho start to the season into account. Middlesbrough to Win and Over 2.5 Goals has some serious value.
Leeds v Middlesbrough betting tips
Brenden Aaronson to have one or more shots on target
A Penalty to be awarded? Yes
Middlesbrough to Win & over 2.5 goals
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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