Grimsby vs Brentford prediction and betting tips: Bees can sink plucky Mariners

Brentford travel to Blundell Park tonight hoping to avoid becoming the latest scalp of Grimsby Town, who have already knocked Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup (7.45pm, Sky Sports+).

That second-round win, on penalties, over the six-time League Cup winners, has been the standout result of the competition so far, and the League Two side followed it up with a 1-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday in the last round to set up this tie.

The Mariners are the lowest-ranked team left in the competition and are priced at 500/1 on betting sites to win the competition, although they’ll do well to get past an in-form Brentford.

Brentford reached the last 16 with two wins over fellow Premier League sides. They beat Bournemouth 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium in the second round before following it up with a victory on penalties over Aston Villa after the sides played out a 1-1 draw.

They also go into the game full of confidence after back-to-back league wins over West Ham and Liverpool to move them up to 11th in the Premier League table and favourites to progress in the Carabao Cup odds.

These two sides have never met in the League Cup and this will be the first encounter since they squared off in League Two during the 2008/09 season.

Back then, the Bees secured the double with a 4-0 win at home before following it up with a 1-0 triumph at Blundell Park on their way to winning the title and starting their climb up the football pyramid.

The Mariners have to go back to May 2004 for their last home win over tonight’s opponents, when Isaiah Rankin scored the only goal of the game. However, they enter the match with no pressure at all.

They have won three of the last five league matches and currently sit sixth in the League Two table, just two points behind leaders Walsall, so they will be full of confidence that they can cause another upset.

David Artell’s side have failed to score in just three of their 19 games so far, while they have conceded in 13 of those, so it’s no surprise that both teams to score is no bigger than 17/20 with football betting sites.

Brentford have so far scored 17 and conceded 15 in their 11 games, including scoring three against the Reds on Saturday and conceding two, so goals should be on the cards in Lincolnshire.

Keith Andrews’s side reached the quarter-finals of the competition last season, before they were knocked out by the eventual winners Newcastle United, but their best-ever run came when they were still in the Championship, back in 2021, when they reached the last four and were beaten 2-0 by Tottenham.

Grimsby vs Brentford prediction 1: Brentford to win & BTTS - 15/8 Betway

Igor Thiago has already scored seven goals in 10 appearances for the Bees this season, including four in his last three outings.

He also scored the second goal in their 2-0 victory over the Cherries in this competition back in August, so it’s no surprise that he is the favourite to open the scoring.

He’s a best price of 15/4 on betting apps to score first, just ahead of Dango Ouattara, who opened the scoring against Liverpool at the weekend.

Grimsby vs Brentford prediction 2: Thiago to score at any time - 21/20 Ladbrokes

Grimsby: Artell will be without Doug Tharme and Cameron Gardner once again as the pair are still out injured, while Sam Lavelle and Jude Soonsup-Bell are also both doubtful after missing Saturday’s defeat at Crewe.

Brentford: The Bees, who are expected to rotate some of their squad, will be without Josh Dasilva, Aaron Hickey and Antoni Milambo again, while midfielder Yehor Yarmolyuk is also a doubt after being forced off in the first half on Saturday.

Betfred are offering bettors a £5 free bet when they wager £10 or more in-play on any of Tuesday’s EFL Cup ties, including Grimsby vs Brentford.

Punters will need to head to Betfred’s promotion page and opt in to the offer before waiting until tonight’s League Cup matches are underway. Then, they’ll need to wager at least £10 in-play at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater.

Once the bet has been settled, they’ll receive a £5 free bet to use in-play on Wednesday’s EFL Cup matches.

If you plan to have a bet on Grimsby vs Brentford, make sure to gamble responsibly.

It’s vital that bettors take steps to remain in control of their time and budget when using gambling sites. The same applies whether you’re using online bookmakers, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.

Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets UK or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.