There’s a cracking EFL Cup final showdown between Chelsea and Liverpool on Sunday and Wembley is braced for what should be a terrific tussle.

Liverpool will be brimming with confidence after their 4-1 hammering of Luton on Wednesday, but Chelsea have had a clear week to prepare for the EFL Cup clash and that could make all the difference.

The Reds will be hoping to add more silverware to Jurgen Klopp’s collection before the German departs at the end of the season, while Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino will be out to claim his first trophy in English football.

Selection: Chelsea to win in 90 minutes, Over 2.5 goals & Wataru Endo to be shown a card - 12/1

High-scoring Chelsea victory can land a 12/1 bet builder

Liverpool are sitting top of the Premier League table, and a massive 25 points ahead of tenth-placed Chelsea, but the Blues are not without hope of turning the Reds over at Wembley on Sunday.

Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alisson all missed Liverpool’s game with Luton on Wednesday, and while Salah and Nunez may return, there is a huge chunk of quality missing from Klopp’s squad.

The Reds trailed Luton until half-time at Anfield, and although that contest ended in a comfortable victory from the Merseyside men, the EFL Cup final comes just four days later and Chelsea have the advantage of a clear week.

The Blues have twice avoided defeat against the champions Man City this season, they were the better side in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool on the opening weekend of the Premier League season and they also performed extremely well in a 2-2 contest with Arsenal.

Those performances suggest Pochettino’s men can compete with the best sides domestically and the Blues look a value selection in a three-leg bet builder.

There have been 36 goals in Liverpool's last eight matches and the free-flowing Reds only have attack on their mind, regardless of the competition or opposition, while Chelsea have seen the net bulge 28 times in their last seven games and there have been seven goals in the two meetings between the Reds and Blues this term.

The EFL Cup is a big prize, but it doesn’t carry the prestige of the Premier League or Champions League and that should allow both sides to play with freedom at Wembley. Going over 2.5 goals looks a solid bet builder second leg.

Complete the three-part bet by punting on Wataru Endo to be shown a card. Endo is the only real defensive presence in Liverpool’s midfield and the Japanese international is asked to do a lot without the ball.

The 31-year-old has been shown seven yellow cards in his last 11 Premier League appearances for the Reds and an EFL Cup final caution could follow.

The EFL Cup gets underway on Tuesday with a plethora of first-round ties and teams dreaming of a Wembley final. The first round typically sees a number of shocks and you can get a grasp of a teams intention for the competition by the team they play in this round. Find our tips for the event below.

Tip 1 - Cambridge to beat QPR @ 7/2

QPR won the EFL Cup in 1967 and reached the final in 1986 but since then it has been an awfully barren spell for Rangers.

The west Londoners have lost in the League Cup first round in three of the last four seasons, with the Hoops falling to Plymouth, Charlton and Norwich in their opening cup contests in those years.

Clearly, those sides are stronger than Tuesday night’s opponents Cambridge, but Rangers have also been beaten by Blackpool, Carlisle, Burton, Swindon, Rochdale and Port Vale in this competition in previous campaigns and it hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Hoops.

Martí Cifuentes’ men were pretty poor in a 3-1 Loftus Road defeat to West Brom in the Championship at the weekend and Cambridge can have hopes of upsetting what is likely to be a much-changed QPR side.

Tip 2 - Watford to win + over 2.5 goals @ 5/4

MK Dons started the season as League Two title favourites, while Watford were well backed in the Championship relegation market.

However, the flow of money may not indicate what is likely to happen at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night. The Hornets look capable of surprising in the Championship this season and the Hertfordshire side got the season off to a winning start with an excellent 3-2 victory at Millwall.

Tom Cleverley is a rookie gaffer, but the former Man Utd midfielder has lost just two of the ten matches since he took charge of the Hornets and Watford may just be a progressive side.

There is experience and quality in the squad, with Moussa Sissoko, Vakoun Bayo and Edo Kayembe, while Mattie Pollock and Ryan Andrews are promising young performers.

MK Dons lost 2-1 at home to Bradford on the opening day of the League Two season and Mike Williamson, who was once a Watford player, may not have a happy return to his former club.

Tip 3 - Over 3.5 goals in Sheffield United v Wrexham @ 23/20

There were 141 goals in Wrexham’s 46 League Two matches last season and the Red Dragons don’t appear to have altered their attacking approach in League One.

Phil Parkinson’s men beat Wycombe 3-2 at the Racecourse Ground at the weekend and that was a contest which featured 32 efforts on goal and 12 corners.

Sheffield United dropped down to the Championship from the Premier League and the Blades got their second-tier campaign off to a winning start when beating Preston 2-0 at Deepdale.

Wrexham step up in class at Bramall Lane and there is no doubt Chris Wilder’s men have the quality to punish the Red Dragons. However, it’s a near impossible task to stop Wrexham finding the net and backing over 3.5 goals looks a play in this League Cup first-round tie.

Add our tips for your betslip @ 20/1

Liverpool lifted their second EFL Cup title in three seasons last term, getting the better of Chelsea in the final and this year’s edition begins to ramp up with second-round ties this week.

With a selection of Premier League teams entering at this stage of the competition, there are some mouth-watering matches across Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tip 1 - Middlesbrough to beat Stoke @ 3/4

Middlesbrough beat pre-season Championship title favourites Leeds in the first round of the EFL Cup and are fancied to follow up on Tuesday against a Stoke side that have lost back-to-back games in the second tier.

The Potters have lost 3-0 to Watford and 2-1 to West Brom in their last two matches and could get dragged into the relegation fight.

Boro on the other hand will be targeting a top-six finish and the depth of their squad looks like the key to this game.

New signing Tommy Conway could be handed a start and he could help fire the home team to victory.

Michael Carrick’s men have ranked strongly on the expected goals figures for their games this term and can progress to the next round with a win.

Tip 2 - Burnley or draw double chance v Wolves @ 23/20

Burnley’s red-hot start to the season ground to a halt with a 1-0 defeat away at Sunderland last time out but they could spring a surprise when they visit Wolves on Wednesday.

The Clarets netted nine goals in their first two league matches and face a Gary O’Neil side that have leaked eight in their first two Premier League outings.

Wolves have lost key men Max Kilman and Pedro Neto over the summer and O’Neil will have been extremely disappointed by how open they were on the break against Chelsea last time out, losing 6-2 at Molineux.

Burnley have one of the biggest squads in the second tier so can freshen up their side for this game and are fancied to at least avoid defeat in this clash.

Tip 3 - Over 3.5 goals in Nottingham Forest v Newcastle @ 31/20

Newcastle and Nottingham Forest tend to put on entertaining affairs when they meet and this EFL Cup tie should be no different on Wednesday.

Five of the last seven head-to-heads have gone over 3.5 goals and with rotation expected, this may be another thriller.

The Magpies ground out a 1-0 win over Southampton in their opener when down to 10 men for much of the game and then were given a real test in their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth at the weekend.

They should relish a less intense game here with Forest happy to sit deep and play on the counter. That could open up the possibility of a high-scoring affair and over 3.5 goals is the selection.