Having flirted with relegation in each of their last two seasons, Burton have looked a more confident outfit this time around. They kicked off their League One campaign with a victory over Mansfield Town, before pushing promotion hopefuls Barnsley all the way in a narrow 3-2 defeat. 

In that clash, Burton generated 1.7xG - just 0.09 shy of that of their opponents, underlining how finely balanced the contest was.

Tranmere, who operate in the division below, have picked up four points from their opening two games, though the underlying numbers add some nuance. They created a mere 0.75xG in their opening-day draw with Colchester, and a modest 0.94 in their 4-0 thrashing of Shrewsbury, despite their opponents going down to 10 men before the hour mark.

Blackpool’s season couldn’t have gotten off to a much worse start, having suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of Stevenage and Exeter City.

The Seasiders have seen plenty of the ball, averaging 61% possession across their opening fixtures, yet that control has failed to translate into real threat, producing just 0.95xG per game while shipping 2.16xG at the other end.

Blackpool's most recent outing was the clearest warning sign yet, as they were dismantled 4-1 by Exeter City, exposing just how far Steve Bruce’s side are from finding the right formula.

Results-wise, Port Vale’s start hasn’t been much brighter, with just a draw and a defeat to show for their efforts - yet the performances hint at more to come.

On opening day, they went toe-to-toe with Rotherham despite being reduced to 10 men in the 32nd minute, enjoying the lion’s share of possession and creating 1.79xG, while conceding only 0.91.

It was a similar story against Cardiff, where Vale’s aerial power and set-piece threat were a constant thorn in the side of their ex-Championship opponents. Port Vale controlled proceedings and looked the likelier winners throughout, but ultimately had to settle for a 0-0 stalemate.

Stevenage also look a much-improved side, and could be well-equipped to trouble Charlton and cause an upset.

The Boro have won each of their opening two games, exceeding their opponents in terms of shots on target, big chances, and xG in both. Significantly, they also retained a significant minority of possession in both matches, averaging just 39%, which typically pays dividends in cup clashes against sides from the upper tiers.

Charlton also began with a win, snatching all three points on opening day thanks to Harvey Knibbs’ 94th-minute strike in a 1-0 victory over Watford.

Given that not long ago, these sides met regularly in League One, there’s a fair bit of head-to-head form to go off here too. The results are pretty encouraging, with Stevenage managing at least a draw in four of the last five meetings, surely suggesting that this clash might be closer than the odds imply.