The international break may be upon us, but there is still plenty of domestic football to enjoy across Tuesday, including a clash between Carlisle and Harrogate from the group stage of the EFL Trophy.
Both sides are still in with a chance of progressing through to the next round, but while Carlisle must win well and hope the night’s other match in Northern Group C goes their way, Harrogate know they just need to better Nottingham Forest U21’s result against Accrington Stanley to qualify.
Form, momentum and perhaps most importantly, recent history is on Harrogate’s side heading into this fixture at Brunton Park and the League Two outfit look well-placed to claim a victory over their third-tier opponents.
The international break may be upon us, but there is still plenty of domestic football to enjoy across Tuesday, including a clash between Carlisle and Harrogate from the group stage of the EFL Trophy.
Both sides are still in with a chance of progressing through to the next round, but while Carlisle must win well and hope the night’s other match in Northern Group C goes their way, Harrogate know they just need to better Nottingham Forest U21’s result against Accrington Stanley to qualify.
Form, momentum and perhaps most importantly, recent history is on Harrogate’s side heading into this fixture at Brunton Park and the League Two outfit look well-placed to claim a victory over their third-tier opponents.
Carlisle celebrated promotion from League Two last season, and there are reasons for optimism at the Cumbrian outfit, with an American takeover reportedly close to completion.
That could bring the good times back to Brunton Park in the long run, but in the short term, things have been tough for Carlisle, who will head into this EFL Trophy clash having lost three matches on the spin and six of their last seven across all competitions.
That poor run has seen Paul Simpson’s side slip into the relegation zone in League One, while they have lost all four of their cup ties this season, including against Harrogate in the first round of the EFL Cup.
Mathematically, Carlisle can still qualify for the knockout stages of this competition, but Simpson has rotated heavily for his side’s previous two EFL Trophy matches this season – the defeats to Accrington and Nottingham Forest’s youngsters – with more changes likely on Tuesday as he prioritises survival in League One.
That could open the door for a Harrogate win, which, on paper at least, would be a minor upset.
The Sulphurites are midtable in League Two, but they will head north with momentum behind them following back-to-back wins over Marine in the FA Cup and Walsall in the league.
Both those successes have come on the road to extend what is an impressive away record for Simon Weaver’s side, as they have won each of their last five on their travels and have not lost away from their EnviroVent Stadium home for over two months.
All that should make positive reading for Harrogate supporters, and that is before you throw in their remarkable record against Carlisle.
Since being promoted to the EFL in 2020, Harrogate have faced the Cumbrians on no fewer than eight occasions, and they are yet to taste defeat, registering six wins and two draws, a run that includes a 1-0 home victory in the EFL Cup earlier this season and a success by the same scoreline the last time they visited Brunton Park back in February.
Harrogate certainly offer plenty of value to win this game at 11/4, while Carlisle are less than convincing 4/5 favourites to finally break their Harrogate hoodoo, with the draw after 90 minutes, which would signal a penalty shootout available at 5/2.
Carlisle have failed to score in five of their last seven, and Harrogate kept a clean sheet in their weekend victory over Walsall, so an away win to nil is another market to consider at 7/1, while under 1.5 match goals at 3/1 could also come in.