The Football League takes a back seat this week, with EFL clubs focusing on the Carabao Cup over the coming days.  

Two of the Championship’s big guns go head-to-head in the Carabao Cup this week, with Aston Villa welcoming Middlesbrough to Villa Park for a repeat of last week’s Championship fixture.

Villa and Boro played out an entertaining 0-0 draw last week, but have both since recorded a victory in the Championship in last weekend’s fixtures.

Both will be looking to build on the weekend’s success in the Carabao Cup this week, particularly Villa, with the competition offering Steve Bruce’s side a welcome distraction from a difficult start to the Championship season.

Having crept past Colchester United in the first-round of the competition, Villa produced an excellent display to beat Wigan Athletic in the previous round, with Bruce’s side beating the Latics 4-1.

Whilst Villa have played in both rounds of the Carabao Cup competition, Boro have featured in just one – entering the competition in the second-round, where they breezed past Scunthorpe United with a 3-0 victory.

Both sides will be expected to make significant changes to their starting XI, just as they have done in previous rounds, with the Championship a priority for Bruce and Boro’s boss, Garry Monk.

Here at FLW, we are expecting not much to separate Villa and Boro on Tuesday evening - just like the Championship fixture last week – with Bruce’s side edging to contest and continuing their cup run.

Score Prediction: Aston Villa 1 – 0 Middlesbrough