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2025-09-23 - Barnsley vs Brighton
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English League Cup Third Round
Tuesday 23rd September 2025 - Kick Off 7:45pm
This game is live on TV
Barnsley
Sixteen years have passed since Barnsley were able to reach the League Cup Fourth Round, but an upset on Tuesday evening will allow them to match that run in the 2009/10 season. They are facing Premier League opposition, but Barnsley are hosting this time having been thumped 7-0 at the same stage at Old Trafford twelve months ago.
Pre-season expectations have since been raised following a very positive start to the League One campaign with Barnsley up into 6th place in the standings. It is the League season that will take priority for the club as they bid to return to the second tier of English Football, but Barnsley finished 12th last season and similar was expected this time around. The side have beaten Fleetwood Town on Penalties and Rotherham United in the League Cup run with both ties being won at Oakwell.
Barnsley had won 3 in a row in all competitions following the upset defeat at Wimbledon, but that sequence was ended in the 1-0 defeat at Blackpool this past weekend. They are unbeaten in all 6 home games played this season in all competitions, while Barnsley will take a lot of confidence having won 3 in a row here.
Conor Hourihane is an inexperienced manager, but will be pleased with the players have responded to him- the manager has admitted he will make changes to his starting eleven having done so in the past couple of Rounds as well.
Brighton
Blowing another late lead at home will have just alarmed some of the Brighton fans and the board also have big expectations that need to be met by Fabian Hurzeler and the squad. The points dropped in the Premier League in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur will have hurt, but the expectation is that Brighton respond with both domestic Cup competitions offering strong avenues for a return to Europe.
The Seagulls have picked up 5 points from a possible 15 to open their Premier League campaign and that has to be seen as an underachievement considering the majority of games have been played at home. In four of the last five seasons, Brighton have reached the League Cup Fourth Round and they have already crushed Oxford United 0-6 away from home in this year's competition.
Brighton headed into the September international break having won 2 games in a row, but they have returned with a loss at Bournemouth and the home draw against Tottenham Hotspur. While the side have lost both away Premier League games this season, Brighton have won away Cup ties at Norwich City and Oxford United from the lower Leagues during this calendar year.
Fabian Hurzeler is expected to ring the changes to freshen up his starting eleven, but there will be a mix of fringe players and those from the first team rebuilding full fitness.
Head to Head
Brighton did the League double over Barnsley when they last met in the Championship season of 2016/17.
Barnsley had been unbeaten in 4 home games against Brighton before the 0-2 defeat in February 2017.
Prediction
The Third Round of the English League Cup is seen as a time when managers will rotate the squad and both involved in this tie are expected to do that.
Conor Hourihane has admitted his Barnsley squad players deserve the chance having won the last couple of ties in the League Cup, while Brighton rang the changes for the 0-6 win at Oxford United.
With that in mind the quality edge should be with the visiting team from the top flight.
It is clear that Fabian Hurzeler has been tasked with taking Brighton back into European Football and the two Cup competitions will offer another real avenue towards that ambition. In recent years Brighton Football Club have tended to take both the League Cup and FA Cup seriously and the manager should have a team capable of backing up the victory at Oxford United by securing another by at least two goals in the Third Round.
The Pick :
Barnsley 1-3 Brighton
