Burnley have looked really open at the back in their first few matches under Nicky Hayen, conceding three goals against West Brom last time out after conceding twice against West Ham in their opening game of the season.

This defensive vulnerability isn’t too surprising, Hayen mentioned when he was appointed that he wanted to change the style of play and this is quite a drastic shift from the stubborn defensive approach that Burnley employed under Scott Parker.

I think Bradford will see this as an opportunity to cause an upset as the home side. They’ve scored in all three of their competitive matches so far this season and should be the latest team to benefit from the lack of defensive organisation which is currently present with Burnley. 

Newcastle looked pretty impressive in their opening game of the Premier League season as they earned a point against Liverpool. 

They were quite unlucky not to take all three points, given that Liverpool were awarded a controversial penalty in the last few minutes of the game.

They take on a West Brom side that has started the season quite well, but I do think the EFL Cup is a bit of a distraction for the Baggies who are unlikely to see it as a priority given that they have a massive game against Middlesbrough to come at the weekend. 

I think we’ll see those priorities reflected in the lineup put out by James Morrison who won’t want to sacrifice the momentum that West Brom have built up across the early weeks of the season in the Championship. 

It’s hard to oppose Premier League sides in the early rounds of the EFL Cup, the gap between the top flight and the lower leagues has never been greater and that often shows in these matches.

Everton made a strong start to the season with a comfortable 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. They’ve got a decent squad this year, with the likes of George and Ndiaye being particularly impressive on the opening weekend alongside goalscorers Thierno Barry and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

It’s also been a very long time since Everton won anything, so I would expect them to take this competition quite seriously with a kind draw in the first round. Preston have really struggled at the start of this campaign, losing to Bolton and Wolves - also struggling in pre-season with just one win from their five friendly matches. 

Charlton should see this as a free hit and I think it’ll be an entertaining game given the style that De Zerbi will persist with. Charlton have started the season quite well, beating Derby and West Ham in what could prove to be crucial points come the end of the campaign. 

Both of these victories have seen 3+ goals, with Charlton being really clinical in both matches to outperform their xG tallies. They take on a Tottenham side that is still lacking confidence, and suffered a 3-0 defeat to Brentford last time out - notably conceding an xG of 3.87. 

Tottenham’s defensive vulnerabilities are there to be exploited by a clinical Charlton side, even if the away side lack the individual quality of the North London outfit. I can see Charlton getting on the scoresheet in what should be a high scoring game.