Southampton v Sheffield Wednesday Tip

On the face of it this fixture looks like a foregone conclusion after Southampton thumped Villa on Saturday whilst Wednesday slid to a fourth consecutive defeat in the Championship. However, those results are virtually irrelevant in terms of the League Cup with the Saints set to play an entire reserve team.

The Owls, conquerors of Fulham in the last round, must be value for the upset at best odds of 4/1 with Ladbrokes. Wednesday beat a strong Martin Jol XI so will fancy their chances of getting back on track against a second-string that is likely to include academy players.

It’s also worth remembering that the Yorkshire club were 18 matches unbeaten under Dave Jones before their September slump. The boss will have plenty of personal motivation as he returns to a former club which he left on a sour note. The 56-year-old claimed unfair dismissal at an industrial tribunal in 2000 and you can be sure he hasn’t forgotten about that unpleasant episode in his life.

Nigel Adkins, on the other hand, will know that the outcome of Tuesday’s game will have little bearing on how Southampton’s season will be judged. His team selection will make clear that a defeat wouldn’t be the end of the world for the hosts and Wednesday may just oblige.