Crystal Palace vs Middlesbrough Prediction & Betting Tips (8 September)

Crystal Palace host Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 at Selhurst Park, with kick-off at 19:45 BST. The Eagles, managed by Pierre Sage, enter at this stage as one of eight seeded teams due to their UEFA Europa League participation, while Championship side Middlesbrough reached the third round after beating Wrexham 1-0 at home and Doncaster Rovers 1-3 away. For the 2026/2027 campaign, Palace have assembled a squad featuring Dean Henderson, Tyrick Mitchell, Chris Richards, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Yéremy Pino, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Eddie Nketiah and Jørgen Strand Larsen, and the manager may use this tie to rotate his options and hand minutes to summer signings such as Óscar Mingueza and Axel Disasi.

Crystal Palace come into this cup fixture looking to bounce back from recent Premier League setbacks, having suffered a 1-4 home defeat to Manchester City on 28 August and a 2-0 loss at Everton on 22 August. Those results have tempered early-season optimism despite the south Londoners' impressive summer business, which saw them bolster their attacking options with Norwegian striker Jørgen Strand Larsen and winger Dwight McNeil to complement the creative talents of Ismaïla Sarr and Japan international Daichi Kamada in midfield.

Middlesbrough, competing in the Championship under manager Kim Hellberg, have reshaped their squad for 2026/2027 by recruiting Will Lankshear, Kyle Joseph, Jeremy Sarmiento, Sebastian Berhalter, Max Arfsten, Ashley Phillips and goalkeeper Radek Vítek. The Teessiders arrive at Selhurst Park in confident mood after recording a 3-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion in the Championship on 29 August, and they progressed to this stage of the EFL Cup by defeating Doncaster Rovers 1-3 away from home in round two.

Bookmakers have priced Crystal Palace as strong favourites for this EFL Cup tie, with European odds sitting at approximately 1.75 for a home win, 3.60 for the draw and 4.50 for a Middlesbrough victory. Given Palace's superior Premier League quality and attacking firepower at Selhurst Park, combined with Boro's likely rotation as they balance Championship ambitions, our prediction is a 3-1 win for Crystal Palace as they advance to the fourth round of the Carabao