English Football League Trophy 2025-2026

With U21 squads showing their mettle and some tight contests on the horizon, punters may see value in banking on youth-driven skill and the unpredictability of fresh legs during the midweek clashes.

English Football League Trophy

English Football League Trophy standings

# Team P W D L Goals Points
1 Leyton Orient Leyton Orient 3 3 0 0 6 9
2 Stevenage Borough Stevenage Borough 3 3 0 0 12 9
3 Colchester United Colchester United 3 3 0 0 6 9
4 Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra 3 3 0 0 12 9
5 Salford City Salford City 3 3 0 0 9 9
6 Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers 3 3 0 0 8 9
7 Harrogate Town Harrogate Town 3 3 0 0 5 9
8 Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers 3 3 0 0 10 9
9 Northampton Town Northampton Town 3 3 0 0 6 9
10 Lincoln City Lincoln City 3 3 0 0 8 9
11 Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers 3 2 1 0 6 8
12 Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers 3 2 1 0 6 8
13 Port Vale Port Vale 3 2 1 0 9 7
14 Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town 3 1 2 0 9 7
15 Swindon Town Swindon Town 3 2 0 1 9 6
16 AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon 3 2 0 1 6 6
17 Cardiff City Cardiff City 3 2 0 1 4 6
18 Bradford City Bradford City 3 2 0 1 8 6
19 Luton Town Luton Town 3 2 0 1 8 6
20 Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle 3 2 0 1 8 6
21 Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town 3 2 0 1 9 6
22 West Ham U21 West Ham U21 3 2 0 1 9 6
23 Exeter City Exeter City 3 2 0 1 5 6
24 Reading Reading 3 2 0 1 6 6
25 Peterborough United Peterborough United 3 2 0 1 7 6
26 Rotherham United Rotherham United 3 2 0 1 7 6
27 Blackpool Blackpool 3 2 0 1 8 6
28 Cambridge United Cambridge United 3 2 0 1 6 6
29 Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers 3 2 0 1 7 6
30 Barnet Barnet 3 1 1 1 5 5
31 Stockport County Stockport County 3 1 1 1 7 5
32 Walsall Walsall 3 1 1 1 3 5
33 Chesterfield Chesterfield 3 1 1 1 4 4
34 Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley 3 1 1 1 5 4
35 Burton Albion Burton Albion 3 1 0 2 3 3
36 Barrow Barrow 3 1 0 2 3 3
37 Grimsby Town Grimsby Town 3 1 0 2 6 3
38 Manchester United U21 Manchester United U21 3 1 0 2 4 3
39 Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town 3 1 0 2 5 3
40 Newport County Newport County 3 1 0 2 2 3
41 Notts County Notts County 3 1 0 2 2 3
42 Gillingham Gillingham 3 1 0 2 5 3
43 Wolverhampton U21 Wolverhampton U21 3 1 0 2 7 3
44 Arsenal U21 Arsenal U21 3 1 0 2 6 3
45 Barnsley Barnsley 3 1 0 2 6 3
46 Crawley Town Crawley Town 3 1 0 2 6 3
47 Manchester City U21 Manchester City U21 3 1 0 2 7 3
48 Liverpool U21 Liverpool U21 3 0 1 2 2 2
49 Tottenham Hotspur U21 Tottenham Hotspur U21 3 0 2 1 8 2
50 Newcastle U21 Newcastle U21 3 0 1 2 5 2
51 Bromley Bromley 3 0 1 2 5 2
52 Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town 3 0 1 2 2 2
53 Nottingham Forest U21 Nottingham Forest U21 3 0 1 2 3 1
54 Mansfield Town Mansfield Town 3 0 1 2 3 1
55 Chelsea U21 Chelsea U21 3 0 1 2 1 1
56 Crystal Palace U21 Crystal Palace U21 3 0 1 2 6 1
57 Brighton U21 Brighton U21 3 0 1 2 2 1
58 Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic 3 0 1 2 2 1
59 Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic 3 0 0 3 5 0
60 Aston Villa U21 Aston Villa U21 3 0 0 3 4 0
61 Fulham U21 Fulham U21 3 0 0 3 2 0
62 Everton U21 Everton U21 3 0 0 3 5 0
63 Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons 3 0 0 3 1 0
64 Leeds United U21 Leeds United U21 3 0 0 3 3 0

The recent EFL Trophy outings saw youth exuberance clash with seasoned grit, highlighted by a thrilling 4-4 draw between Bristol Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur U21s, where goal-fests became spectators' delight, and punters' gold, revealing potential in over/under markets. In the same vein, Manchester City U21s' dominant 5-1 thrashing of Oldham Athletic underscores the young Citizens' attacking prowess, making them ones to watch in scoring bets. Looking ahead to these upcoming bouts on Tuesday, we're treated to an enticing lineup as Newcastle U21 travels to Huddersfield, and Bromley braces for Crystal Palace U21. The packed schedule is a cauldron of challenges with unfancied underdogs like Grimsby Town aiming to outsmart Bradford City. Meanwhile, the fixtures at Luton and Doncaster promise to test punters' resolve with unpredictable outcomes. Keep your wits and notebooks ready for this rollercoaster ride!