A run in the EFL Cup by Huddersfield Town ’s Championship opponents could boost Town's own promotion prospects according to data.
An additional five matches lie in wait for teams who win their third round tie tonight if they want to win the competition.
For a team hoping to finish inside their league’s top two spots that may prove to be too much to ask for their players - particularly those of lower league teams who make it to the final.
EFL Cup round reached compared with Number of Top 4 finishers in past 10 seasons
Only two teams from outside the Premier League have made it to the EFL Cup final over the last 10 seasons - both made it into the playoffs, but not the automatic promotion spots - Bradford in 2012-13 and Cardiff in 2011-12.
No semi-finalist from the lower leagues has ever finished above fifth in their division.
However, teams who make it to the quarter-finals seem to fare much better.
Two quarter-finalists went on to win the Championship - Bournemouth in 2014-15 and Leicester in 2013-14 while one side managed to finish second - Middlesbrough last season - while two finished in the top six - Sheffield Wednesday and Hull last season.
