Grimsby vs Brentford Prediction: Bees to battle through

Grimbsy Town are still buzzing off the back of their historic Carabao Cup victory over Manchester United back in August, and they booked their place in the last 16 of this competition with an away win at Sheffield Wednesday.

Next up for Dave Artell’s giant killers, they host Premier League outfit Brentford (19:45, Sky Sports+), and below you can find my Grimsby vs Brentford predictions featuring team news and match odds. 

Team News

Grimsby missed both Sam Lavelle and Jude Soonsup-Bell at the weekend as they struggled with minor issues but they may return to Artell’s matchday squad here. The Mariners lost 3-2 at Crewe Alexandra in League 2 on Saturday, and Christy Pym looks set to keep his place in goal.

Charles Vernam should start again having scored against Manchester United while Jamie Walker scored twice against the Alex from his attacking midfield role. Jaze Kabia led the line in that one, but Danny Rose may come in to play in the number nine position. 

Football Odds

Meanwhile, Brentford boss Keith Andrews has hinted at changes for this one, as he plans to use his deep Premier League squad. 

"Whatever team we pick is strong, I've been saying that to the players for weeks and weeks," said Andrews ahead of the trip to Lincolnshire. "The bench has made a huge impact in recent weeks - goals from it, courage, personality and experience - so they need to be rewarded and the squad will be utilised.”

Expect Ethan Pinnock, Keane Lewis-Potter, Rico Henry and Mathias Jensen all to start, having been named on the bench in the 3-2 win over Liverpool. Goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson should also feature, with Fabio Carvalho and Reiss Nelson also in line to get some minutes.

Today's Football Fixtures

Grimsby vs Brentford Odds 

Grimsby are priced at 7/1 to win this tie in 90 minutes, with Brentford just 4/11 to get through in normal time. That gives the Bees an implied win probability of 73%, a draw that would force penalties is 4/1, while over 2.5 goals is 4/7. 

If you fancy goals at both ends, BTTS is 4/5 while the in-form Igor Thiago is the favourite to open the scoring at 10/3. A selection of Price Boosts and Bet Builders can be found on the link above.

Brentford to win and BTTS @ 9/5 

Grimsby are League 2’s joint-top scorers, having hit 27 goals this term, 18 of them from open play situations, and they may be able to cause Brentford some problems based on the sheer number of shots they take. 

No team in the fourth tier averages more shots per game than Grimsby (14.9) this season, and the Mariners also top the charts when it comes to shots on target per 90 (five). It gives me belief then that Grimsby can find the net, as they did twice against Manchester United, but I do think this time, they will come up short against Premier League opposition. 

The Bees should have too much for Grimsby to deal with, especially looking at that team news. Andrews' direct style may also stand up well to League 2 opposition. Away win and BTTS is our first selection. 

Fabio Carvalho to score anytime @ 6/4

I’m a big fan of Carvalho and the former Liverpool youngster should get a chance to shine in this competition. He’s not been able to nail down a starting spot in the Premier League due to Brentford’s strength but his quality is still apparent. 

He’s started both Carabao Cup games so far and featured off the bench in the league, scoring against Chelsea - while he scored against Derby County in this competition. He should tear Grimsby apart. 

Offers

Tuesday (28/10): Opt in and place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any EFL Cup match on Tuesday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Wednesday’s EFL Cup matches. (Credited within 24 hours)

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down