Bury host Sunderland at Gigg Lane in the first round of the EFL Cup on Thursday evening, and could well pull off a scalp given their impressive form compared to the poor results of the visitors. We at Accumulator Tips have picked out two key bets for the game.

Bury come into this week’s meeting off the back of good form and will fancy their chances of an upset on home soil. Lee Clark will certainly be telling his players they can pull off a shock and will be desperate for a performance considering he twice played for Sunderland’s biggest rivals Newcastle.

As for the visitors, Thursday’s first round clash comes at a bad time as manager Simon Grayson will be keen to put all his focus into league affairs, rather than wanting to travel to Bury for a midweek cup game. He may rest first-team players as a result, potentially meaning the visitors could come unstuck.

Bury have won back-to-back games in all competitions ahead of the visit of Sunderland, beating Salford City 2-1 away in a pre-season friendly, before dispatching of Walsall in their opening game of the League One campaign.

As for Sunderland, the Black Cats have gone three without a win, drawing 0-0 with Scunthorpe United and losing 5-0 to Celtic in their final two pre-season friendlies, before drawing with Derby County in their Championship opener.

Open your Coral account and receive a FREE bet up to £50, with a REFUND if it loses

Bury are the form side of the two and will want to put on a performance in front of their own supporters, especially with the first round clash being televised.

Sunderland will perhaps be focusing more on their promotion hopes in the Championship, rather than dreaming of picking up silverware in a tournament soon featuring the best Premier League clubs. Bury might capitalise as a result.

Open your William Hill account, bet £10 and get £30 FREE

Bury v Sunderland Preview

Sunderland are priced at 5/4 favourites with SkyBet, Bury are 13/5 with William Hill, while the draw is currently 5/2 with William Hill.

With Sunderland having fallen behind in each of their last two games, they may be vulnerable against an in-form Bury side desperate to shock them.

And while the hosts may take the lead, with Bury to score first at 11/8 with Bet 365, Sunderland will respond considering Bury have conceded in six of their last seven games in all competitions. Both Teams to Score is 5/6 with Coral.