With big Premier League clubs having dominated the competition for well over a decade, it is hard to look elsewhere in our early 2026/27 League Cup outright winner tips .
Since Swansea thrashed Bradford in the 2013 decider, there has been an absence of shock victors. Of course, Manchester City have been the major force, with last season’s triumph making it seven times they have lifted the trophy in the past 13 renewals.
Pep Guardiola was at the helm for five of those victories, posting a new record for a manager by surpassing the mark set by Brian Clough , Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho . It remains to be seen whether Enzo Maresca puts as much store in chasing League Cup success, but he did lead Chelsea to the semi-finals last season, prior to stepping down before a subsequent loss to Arsenal .
Having inherited a squad unmatched in terms of strength in depth, City are sure to be a popular pick once more at 6/1.
Arsenal ante-post favourites
Arsenal getting closer under Arteta
Last term’s beaten finalists Arsenal are the ante-post favourites on 4/1, having also reached the semis under Mikel Arteta the previous season. You need to go all the way back to 1993 for the Gunners ’ most recent triumph in this competition, but Arteta is clearly keen to address that situation and match his former mentor Guardiola in chasing all available silverware.
Liverpool remain the most successful League Cup team in history with 10 outright victories, one more than the fast-approaching City . Jurgen Klopp helped the Reds to lift this trophy in 2022 and 2024, while they were runners-up in 2025 under Arne Slot.
The big question now is how ambitious new boss Andoni Iraola will be, having fallen at the first hurdle with Bournemouth for the past two seasons. A vastly superior Anfield squad will obviously aid Iraola’s cause, but 7/1 for the Merseyside outfit to prevail in the final at Wembley on March 21 is a touch short for us.
Betting Odds
EFL Cup Betting Odds – 2026-27 season
Result | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Arsenal | 4/1 | 20% |
Manchester City | 6/1 | 14.3% |
Liverpool | 7/1 | 12.5% |
Chelsea | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Manchester United | 8/1 | 11.1% |
BAR | 11/1 | 8.3% |
*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.
Chelsea in strong position
Chelsea due change of luck?
Chelsea have a bit of a score to settle with this competition, having been runners-up in 2019, 2022 and 2024 and losing semi-finalists last term since the last of their five victories in 2015. In theory, the Blues ’ huge squad, bolstered by expensive fringe players and plenty of exciting academy graduates, puts them in a good position to go for it on all fronts.
We also like the fact new head coach Xabi Alonso enjoyed knockout success with Liverpool , Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as a player and has already managed Bayer Leverkusen to a German Cup triumph. Add on the fact Chelsea are not involved in any European competitions this season and 8/1 for them to lift this trophy is worth including in our 2026/27 League Cup outright winner tips.
Michael Carrick was a three-time winner as a player with Manchester United , who will be keen to erase the memory of last year’s embarrassing early exit at Grimsby and are 8/1 to go all the way. Returning to Champions League action may stretch their squad, though, and the same can be said of 16/1 shots Aston Villa , while Tottenham (11/1) and 2025 winners Newcastle (20/1) should be more focused on improving their Premier League form.
2026/27 LEAGUE CUP OUTRIGHT WINNER TIPS: We’re splitting our stakes between Manchester City at 6/1 and Chelsea at 8/1.
Betting Tips
EFL Cup Betting Tips
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