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In a replay of last season's tie at this stage, Everton and Wolves will square off in an EFL Cup third-round tie on Wednesday at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The hosts cruised past Preston North End to reach this stage, one win away from the round of 16, while their visitors have seen off Port Vale and Sheffield Wednesday and picked up a third Championship win of the season on Sunday.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Everton vs. Wolves key stats
- Everton have kept three clean sheets in their first five games of 2026.
- Everton have only got past the third round once in their last five EFL Cup campaigns.
- The two sides met in the third round last season with Wolves winning 2-0 at home.
- Only one team have scored more Championship goals than Wolves (14) in their six league matches so far this season.
Everton vs. Wolves preview: Wolves to repeat third-round win over Toffees from last season?
Everton vs. Wolves — Tale of the Tape
| Everton | vs | Wolves |
|---|---|---|
| 9th (Premier League) | Position | 7th (Championship) |
| 6 | Points | 11 |
| 5 | Goals For | 14 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 10 |
| 2 | Clean Sheets | 1 |
| 6 | Home / Away Rank | 2nd |
Everton head into action on Wednesday aiming to continue an unbeaten start to their 2026-27 season and book their place in the EFL Cup round of 16.
David Moyes's team entered the competition in the second round, meeting second-tier Preston North End away from home, and cruised through with a 4-0 triumph as Thierno Barry netted a hat-trick and Brennan Johnson added a fourth.
That booked them another third-round place, having fallen out at this stage in the past two years, with the Toffees having also managed an unbeaten start in the Premier League, sitting ninth on six points from their four games with only Arsenal, Manchester City and Hull City conceding fewer than the three goals they have allowed.
After an opening 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, those goals came in 1-1 and 2-2 draws against Bournemouth and Manchester United respectively, before they visited Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend and kept a third clean sheet in five competitive matches in a goalless stalemate.
Now back in cup action with the hopes of returning to winning ways and building further momentum ahead of a meeting with Ipswich Town at the weekend, and likely dealing with the continued absence of midfielders Christian Norgaard and Merlin Rohl, Everton will come into the contest with their sights set on another victory and a place in the round of 16.
Their visitors, meanwhile, head to Merseyside hoping to again dump Everton out to reach the round of 16 as they did last season.
A year after beating the Toffees 2-0 in the EFL Cup third round, only to lose in the following stage to Chelsea, Wolves have reached this point again with first and second-round wins over Port Vale and Sheffield Wednesday respectively, scoring five goals without conceding in those matches.
That has come alongside an eventful start to life in the Championship after their Premier League relegation, with Cesar Peixoto's team sat on 11 points from six games having notched up 14 goals and already conceded 10.
Following a defeat and a draw to halt their early momentum, they were able to put a third notch in their league wins column on Sunday while recording a first clean sheet in the second tier, visiting Sheffield United and snatching all three points as Raul Jimenez broke the deadlock in injury time, with Kieran Trippier having returned from injury off the bench in that match while Santiago Bueno, Yerson Mosquera and Rafiki Said missed out.
Peixoto's men now head to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, where they drew 1-1 in the top flight in January, with the hopes of repeating last year's cup tie and prevailing to put themselves into the final 16.
Everton vs. Wolves form guide & betting tips
| Everton | vs | Wolves |
|---|---|---|
WWDDD |
Form | WWLDW |
| 9 | Goals For | 11 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 7 |
W |
EFL Cup | WW |
Whispers predicts: Everton 2-1 Wolves
Everton certainly arrive as favourites after their unbeaten start, the visitors' relegation and with home advantage, but Wolves should certainly not be underestimated and have quickly shown their quality at points in the Championship, particularly in attack. While Everton have kept three clean sheets in five games this season, David Moyes may use the opportunity to rest some key men between league games and could field a somewhat altered defence, affording chances to the free-scoring visitors, who have themselves allowed 10 goals in six league games. We fancy Both Teams to Score at 4/5 (1.80).
Everton have forced 26 corners in their five competitive games so far this season and will arguably have one of their best chances yet to control territory and force set pieces on Wednesday, while the visitors will head to the Hill Dickinson Stadium ready to attack and continue their free-scoring form, after racking up nine corners of their own away from home last time out. Over 9.5 corners is priced at 5/6 (1.83).
While Moyes should shuffle his Everton pack somewhat between top-flight games, he should persist with front man Thierno Barry as the Frenchman aims to build further form in front of goal. He has managed four goals so far this term, including three in the previous round at Preston, and will hope to further kickstart his campaign by spearheading the attack and making an impact in midweek. We are backing him to score anytime at 6/4 (2.50).
> Both Teams to Score at 4/5 (1.80) | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 9.5 corners at 5/6 (1.83) | Likelihood: Probable
> Thierno Barry to score anytime at 6/4 (2.50) | Likelihood: Possible