Wednesday is the busiest night of the week. Five Carabao Cup ties, including Liverpool v Chelsea at Anfield, the second half of the DFB-Pokal second round, five Serie A games and a full evening of KNVB beker. Almost every big side is rotating with the weekend in mind, so the team sheets matter even more than usual.
Same deal as always: no odds and no picks. Just the players I'd open first and what I'd check before I trust a price. Last night's notes on Dowman, Noslin and Malen are in player props for Tuesday 27 October.
01Today's games#
All times are Amsterdam time (CET). UK time is one hour earlier.
| Kick-off | Competition | Match |
|---|---|---|
| 18:00 | DFB-Pokal | Freiburg v Wolfsburg, Dresden v Schalke, Paderborn v Stuttgart, Jeddeloh II v Hertha |
| 18:30 | Serie A | Milan v Bologna, Parma v Udinese, Venezia v Inter |
| 18:45 | KNVB beker | Sparta Rotterdam v Fortuna Sittard |
| 20:30 | Carabao Cup | Manchester City v Brighton |
| 20:45 | Carabao Cup | Sunderland v Brentford, Fulham v Crystal Palace, Bournemouth v Aston Villa |
| 20:45 | DFB-Pokal | Bayern v Magdeburg, Leverkusen v Nürnberg, Kiel v Hoffenheim, Hannover v Kaiserslautern |
| 20:45 | Serie A | Genoa v Juventus, Monza v Napoli |
| 21:00 | Carabao Cup | Liverpool v Chelsea |
There are seven more KNVB beker ties at 20:00 and Excelsior Maassluis v Heerenveen at 21:00. Sources: Sky Sports and The False 9 for the Carabao Cup, the DFB's official schedule for the Pokal, Lega Serie A and Sky Sport Italia for Serie A, and the KNVB's official cup site for the beker.
021. Cody Gakpo, Liverpool v Chelsea (21:00)#
Market to check: shots, then anytime goalscorer
Liverpool host Arsenal on Sunday, so Iraola is expected to rest a lot of names. Sports Illustrated and Sports Mole both predict the same XI, and both have Gakpo starting on the left with Lewis Koumas up front and Rio Ngumoha on the other side. Wirtz is carrying a foot problem, Ekitiké and Szoboszlai are out, and Isak could get the night off, per Sports Mole. That leaves Gakpo as the most experienced attacker in a young front line, which usually means a bigger share of the shots.
Chelsea arrive in a bad way. Sports Illustrated says they lost 2-0 at home to Tottenham at the weekend, Cole Palmer is suspended after his red card in that game and João Pedro is injured again. Liverpool, meanwhile, have won eight and drawn one of their last 10.
The catch is that predicted line-ups for rotated cup sides are guesses. If Gakpo starts on the bench, the whole angle is gone, so wait for the team sheet around 20:00.
032. Phil Foden, Man City v Brighton (20:30)#
Market to check: anytime goalscorer, then shots on target
Haaland, Dias, Gvardiol, Guéhi and Donnarumma were all given three days off after Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, according to Sports Illustrated. Maresca has only confirmed one change, Rulli in goal, and City play Brighton again in the league on Saturday, so expect a mixed side.
Sports Illustrated's predicted XI has Foden as a false nine, flanked by Doku and Ndiaye. It also notes Foden has four goals in his last two starts after going 10 months without scoring. If he's the most advanced player, his goalscorer price should be built off a striker's role, not a midfielder's.
Two warnings. First, nobody knows if Haaland plays. If he starts, Foden drops back and his shot volume probably drops with him. Second, Brighton are no pushover. They beat Manchester United 3-2 to get here.
043. Pio Esposito, Venezia v Inter (18:30)#
Market to check: anytime goalscorer, then shots
It's last against first. Goal Italia expects Chivu to rotate before Saturday's derby against Milan: Çalhanoğlu rests, Thuram starts on the bench, and Bonny and Pio Esposito lead the line together.
That's the appeal. A young striker with a clear starting role for the league leaders, against the bottom side. But don't write Venezia off. Goal Italia also points out they've already beaten Napoli at home this season.
The risk is minutes. With Thuram fresh on the bench and a derby in three days, Esposito could be off just after the hour. A shortened game hits shot lines harder than goalscorer lines, so I'd look at the goalscorer market first.
05Bayern v Magdeburg: a strange week in Munich#
I covered Harry Kane on Sunday in player props for 25 October, so just a short note. Bild reports a lot going on: Kompany is still in hospital after collapsing on Friday, so assistant Aaron Danks is in charge, and Kane won the Ballon d'Or and was in London the day before the game. Kimmich, Neuer, Musiala and Luis Díaz all miss out, while Pavlović and Kim are doubts.
Bild also says Bayern won't take any risks with Dortmund coming on Saturday. Against a second-division side, that's the kind of night where the starters might not see 90 minutes. Check the XI before you look at Kane or Olise.
06Cup night rules to check#
- Extra time is different tonight. In the Carabao Cup, a draw after 90 minutes goes straight to penalties. The DFB-Pokal and KNVB beker do play extra time. Many bookmakers settle player props on 90 minutes plus stoppage time anyway, but check the rules for your bet.
- Penalty shoot-outs. A goal in a shoot-out never counts for goalscorer markets.
- Non-starters. Rotation is heavy tonight. Some bookmakers void if a player doesn't start, others only if he doesn't play at all. The details are in anytime goalscorer bets explained and shots on target betting.
- Team sheets first. They come out about an hour before kick-off, and that's when fair odds move most. See how line-ups and penalties move prices.
- Compare with a fair odd. If a price is bigger than fair, it's positive EV. To build your own, read fair odds for player props.
07Frequently asked questions#
What time is Liverpool v Chelsea tonight?#
It kicks off at 21:00 Amsterdam time on Wednesday 28 October 2026 at Anfield. That's 20:00 in the UK.
Is there extra time in the Carabao Cup fourth round?#
No. If it's level after 90 minutes, the tie goes straight to a penalty shoot-out. Extra time is only used in the semi-final second leg and the final.