EFL Cup PREVIEW 8 Sep 2026: Newcastle go to The Den and Bradford chase a first fourth round since their Wembley run, in Tuesday's third-round ties

Five third-round ties on Tuesday, and the loudest is at The Den: "Millwall will host Newcastle United at the Den on Tuesday night in the third round of the Carabao Cup." Alex Neil's hosts are volatile — per The72, "after consecutive big losses to Southampton and Wrexham, the Lions ended with a flurry as they beat Bolton Wanderers 4-0 at The Den" — and the same tipster fancies the conditions for an upset: "if Alex Neil's side have their shooting boots on, they've definitely got a good chance of springing a surprise in this cup tie." Matthias Jaissle's Newcastle come without Daniel Burn, Joelinton and William Osula, and their manager is weighing rotation carefully: "There is a fine line when making these decisions. I think it is a smart move to wait and see how the lads respond physically and mentally from that match and then make a decision." Sunderland against Hull carries its own wrinkle — per VAVEL, "Sunderland enter the competition in round three, because of their Europa League status", and "it is likely that Le Bris will make 11 changes to the team that drew with Brentford", with Alan Browne in contention "following a failed move back to his former club Preston on deadline day." Hull "edged past Championship side Stoke in round two, winning on penalties at the Bet365 Stadium after playing out a 1-1 draw."

Bradford travel to Leyton Orient with history in view: Sports Mole notes they want to "secure their spot in the fourth round of the competition for the first time since their historic trip to the final at Wembley Stadium in the 2012-13 season", and they arrive near full strength, "a largely untouched squad with their only current absentee being Tyreik Wright." Orient "came from behind to take a point from Luton Town at Kenilworth Road" last time out. Bournemouth host Lincoln City "still waiting for their first win of the season" and, per Sports Mole, "are likely to make wholesale changes"; Lincoln's co-manager Tom Shaw likes his hand — "it's a really nice position we're in, with the squad being pretty much healthy at the minute" — after "a 1-1 stalemate against Southampton" made it "a fourth game on the bounce without defeat." And Crystal Palace, fresh from winning "for the first time this season" against Fulham, meet Middlesbrough with rotation expected — "the likes of Adam Wharton in midfield and Chris Richards at the back likely to drop out" — while The72 leans toward Kim Hellberg's visitors: "Boro and Hellberg definitely have a route to victory here. I'm leaning towards an upset with the Championship outfit progressing to the next round."