Bolton Wanderers v Salford City

For the EFL Cup opening round it is always fairly tough to work out how strong the clubs will go with their first XIs. To help with this, I have conducted some research into how managers approached the first round last season, the evidence was stronger on the occasions when they were also with their current clubs. Using some of this research there does seem to be some good opportunities to take up in the opening round this week.

Ian Evatt went quite strong defensively last year in Bolton’s opening EFL Cup match, playing first choice defenders and strong midfielders. He did change his forwards however, but I foresee that this will be much less of an issue this season. Evatt has built a strong squad since this time last season and even changing for his second-choice forwards would not mean much of a drop in quality or performance.

Evatt has been speaking in local press as well. The indications were that there would be changes, but he stated in no uncertain terms that there wouldn’t be 11 changes. He also made a point of addressing the fact that they have done a lot of work on analysing Salford and that he would pick a line-up that was designed to work the best for this match.

Given the gulf in class between the clubs at the moment and the information researched it increases my confidence in Bolton being the stronger side in this tie and with the element of local pride also at stake the game should be competitive.

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Bradford City v Hull City

Bradford City lock horns with Hull City at Valley Parade in a Yorkshire derby in front of the cameras. 

The Bantams will be looking to beat their Championship opponents and to progress to the next round of the Carabao Cup. They got to the final of this competition back in 2013 and their boss, Mark Hughes, has said that he wants to cause a ‘shock’ which he suggests he will be playing a strong team and going for it against the Tigers. The two clubs haven’t played each other since 2005 so it should be a lively atmosphere between two old foes. Bradford scored twice in their last game against Barrow, only to lose 3-2 in the end, which shows they do possess an attacking threat as well as the capacity to leak goals. Summer signing Emmanuel Osadebe, who has arrived from fellow League Two side Walsall in this transfer window, is out injured and was replaced by Harry Chapman last time out so Hughes could stick with that. Midfielder Richie Smallwood was released by Hull at the end of the last campaign after two years at the MKM Stadium and he is set to play against his former employers for the first time and will be eager to prove a point. The ex-Middlesbrough man will either play alongside Ryan East, Levi Sutton or Yann Songo’o. There are goals in this Bradford side, Andy Cook got 12 last term and new recruit Jake Young got off the mark against Barrow over the weekend so they have the ability to cause Hull problems. 

It has been an eventful summer at Hull as they prepare for their first full season under the ownership of Acun Ilicali. Their boss, Shota Arveladze, has said that he will ‘change some’ of his starting eleven for this cup game. The Tigers have made a decent start to the campaign and have four points from their opening two games so will be in confident mood as they look to beat Bradford and avoid being on the end of an upset. However, the fact that they will switch up their team shows that they could be vulnerable to conceding in this one. Goalkeeper Nathan Baxter is out of action with a finger injury so either Matt Ingram or David Robson will play between the sticks. They will also be without new signing Dogukan Sinik, who is yet to make his debut having joined over the summer from Turkish side Alanyaspor. Randell Williams is back from injury though so could take his place on the wing which is a boost. Hull have players who can hurt Bradford like new signings Oscar Estupinan and Benjamin Tetteh, but if they don’t play even players such as Tyler Smith and Mallik Wilks have enough quality to hurt a side in the fourth tier.

Harrogate Town v Stockport County 

Harrogate Town take on Stockport County in an all-League Two clash at the EnviroVent Stadium. 

The hosts go into the clash in low spirits after they were thumped 3-0 away at Crewe Alexandra last time out. They are in for a tough clash on Tuesday evening with ambitious Stockport desperate to prove a point after disappointing back-to-back losses. Harrogate leaked way too many goals last season and their showing on Saturday showed flashbacks to their slip down the table from the second-half of last term. Two of their three goals conceded against the Railwaymen were from set-pieces. Their manager, Simon Weaver, said his side gave away ‘free headers’ and you worry for his side, especially if Stockport play 6ft 2inc striker Kyle Wootton or 6ft 4inc Scott Quigley. In terms of team news for Harrogate, they remain without defenders Rory McArdle and Will Smith through injury which is a blow. Will Burrell has lined up against new boys Joe Mattock and Miles Welch-Hayes in a back three for the first two games, with Lewis Richards and Kyle Ferguson on the bench. Weaver could go for the latter two from the off in the Carabao Cup but they will not be up to speed completely due to lack of match minutes. Midfielder Josh Falkingham and attacker Max Wright also remain out of action which doesn’t help a side who couldn’t even name a full bench over the weekend. 

Stockport are back in the Football League and will have their sights set on playing a big club in the cup at home at Edgeley Park so will want to get past Harrogate. They have been beaten in their opening matches against Barrow and Stevenage so will want to bounce back and prove that they are genuine promotion contenders. Speaking after their last match, manager Dave Challinor said his wants his side to be ‘better in possession’. Despite this being a cup match and changes are expected, there is no denying Stockport’s quality and strength in depth. Take their attacking options for example, they had Oliver Crankshaw, Myles Hippolyte, Scott Quigley and Callum Camps all on the bench in their last match against Stevenage, the latter of who came on and scored. In terms of team news, the Hatters will be without the suspended Ash Palmer in defence. Nevertheless, they have an ideal replacement in the form of summer recruit from Torquay United, Joe Lewis, who will be eager to show what he can do. Goalkeeper Ben Hincliffe has conceded five goals in two games and has made a few mistakes which could provide an opportunity for Liverpool loanee Vit Jaros to replace him and potentially stake a claim. Stockport are due a win after their past two matches and the fact that they have more options to pick from and need a victory suggests they should have enough to get past Harrogate. 

Milton Keynes Dons v Sutton United

MK Dons welcome League Two side Sutton United to Stadium MK in the Carabao Cup. 

It hasn’t been the best start to the season for the Dons and they have lost their opening two League One games against Cambridge United and Sheffield Wednesday. This means that they will be eager to bounce back and show their quality against League Two opponents. Their boss, Liam Manning, is one of the brightest young coaches in the Football League and guided the Buckinghamshire club to the play-offs last term against the odds, proving they are a strong side and should have too much for Sutton. He has hinted that he won’t make too many changes for this cup match and has said he wants to build up some ‘momentum’ to take into the league. He will have to make two changes though, with attackers Will Grigg and Nathan Holland picking up knocks over the weekend. Nevertheless, they have decent options to replace them though in the form of Dan Kemp and Matt Dennis, who have arrived this summer from Leyton Orient and Norwich City and they will both be looking to show what they can do. MK Dons are a team that like to keep possession and they may have be patient but they should have too much for Sutton to deal with. 

Matt Gray has a small squad which makes playing Saturday and then Tuesday’s tough. They were beaten 2-1 by Doncaster Rovers over the weekend and were winning 1-0 up until the 92^nd minute before they completely fell apart. Their boss wants to respond with a ‘positive’ result on Tuesday evening but it will be a difficult encounter for his team against a side in the league above. To make matters worse, key defender Ben Goodliffe is still out injured which is a huge blow for them, but is a big boost to the Dons. He played a huge role behind the U’s run to the Papa John’s Trophy final and his absence leaves a void in their backline. Coby Rowe slotted in for him against Doncaster and is the most likely candidate to play in his place once again against Manning’s men, but he doesn’t have the same influence in defence. Sutton also don’t have goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis or attackers David Ajiboye or Isaac Olaofe in their squad anymore, all three of who were massive players in the last campaign, so probably won’t cause MK Dons too much problems if the hosts are up for it. 

Walsall v Swindon

Walsall have made 16 signings this summer with Michael Flynn being very busy putting his own stamp on the squad. 

The Saddlers are in good form at the moment and have won their opening two games of the League Two season against Hartlepool United and Newport County. Both results showed what they are capable of, with the first being an emphatic 4-0 hammering against the Pools which proved that they are well capable of scoring goals. The second was a hard fought 1-0 away win against the Exiles over the weekend which showed their ability to grind out results, even when down to 10 men after Taylor Allen was send off. Walsall’s manager Flynn will be looking to make it three wins in a row against Swindon Town in the Carabao Cup and you wouldn’t bet against his side, especially due to the fact they haven’t even conceded yet. He has said his side will keep ‘digging in’ and has also hinted that they are after one more signing to make it 17 for this transfer window. On the team news front, midfielder Allen is out of action now through suspension but the Midlands club have a perfectly capable replacement in Jack Earing, who came off the bench at Rodney Parade in the last game. Walsall are on a roll and will not want their momentum being halted by a cup loss so are in a good place to keep it going. 

This summer has been tough for Swindon following the departure of Ben Garner to Charlton Athletic. Their ex-manager also took goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott and defender Mandela Egbo with him to The Valley. Scott Lindsay came in to replace Garner in the dugout at the County Ground but the former Birmingham City coach has found life in Wiltshire tough so far. His newly inherited squad were thumped 3-0 on the opening day against Harrogate Town away and then drew another blank in their 0-0 draw against Salford City on Saturday. They won’t fancy a cup trip to face a very confident Walsall side now and Lindsay has admitted himself that their opponents will be ‘incredibly though to break down’. He has also suggested he will make some changes to his side and wants to give players ‘minutes’ at the moment. The Robins will be without key player Harry McKirdy for their game at the Bescot Stadium after he was sent off last time out against the Ammies. He is almost irreplaceable for Swindon and scored 18 goals in all competitions in the last campaign. The likes of Tomi Adeloye and Ronan Darcy are available to replace but there is no way they will have the same influence going forward. New defender signing Ciaran Brennan picked up a knock against Salford and is out of action too so young Tom Clayton is likely to step in for him which will suit Walsall. 

Rochdale v Burton Albion

The beauty of cup matches is that there has to be a winner, so when two sides who have only tasted defeat so far are drawn together, someone has to end up with the winning feeling.

Hosts Rochdale have not made a positive start to their League Two campaign. Defeats at home to Rochdale and away at Gillingham have left supporters questioning the effectiveness of Robbie Stockdale’s tactics. The Dale aren’t exactly loaded with personnel depth at the moment, but there is certainly a belief that Stockdale’s 3-5-2 does not make best use of what is at his disposal. All-around midfielder Toumani Diagouraga has already proven his worth in the centre, but there is a strong desire for a competent left-sided wing-back and creative midfielder that can provide a link up to the frontline. Club hero Ian Henderson has returned to the place he scored plenty of goals at whilst Rochdale were a League One side, and he will be hoping that he can get off the mark in this encounter.

Rochdale’s start to the season has been bad, but Burton Albion’s has been even worse. Experimental starting line-ups from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink have led to the Brewers having disastrous first halves against both Wycombe Wanderers and Bristol Rovers. Burton Albion sit bottom of League One after two games with zero points, zero goals scored, and seven goals conceded. Fans of the Staffordshire outfit remain deeply concerned that inconsistent, negative tactical setups leave the Brewers constantly exposed in defence, with ineffective direct play up to the forwards offering very little in terms of open play creativity.

There’s not much glamour to be found in this first round tie at Spotland Stadium. Rochdale v Burton Albion sees a meeting between two poor sides who have very forgettable starts to 2022-23. Someone has to progress tonight, and some may fancy this game to be a quiet slog to a penalty shootout, and the victor will emerge from there.

Mansfield Town v Derby County

Nigel Clough has strong history with Cup runs. In 2018-19, Clough took Burton Albion to the semi-finals of the League Cup and a double-legged tie with an all-conquering Manchester City. In 2013-14, Clough was at the helm of a third tier Sheffield United team who made to Wembley for the FA Cup Semi-Finals, playing out a chaotic 5-3 defeat to Hull City. At home especially, the 56-year-old always enjoys the idea of a cup upset, and the opportunity has been presented again to him here. Clough may alter from the 3-5-2 formation that has featured in Mansfield’s two league fixtures so far, but he certainly intends to play as a strong a team as possible against Derby County. Expect key men Stephen McLaughlin, Oli Hawkins, Hiram Boateng and Rhys Oates to all feature if fit.

The Clough connection continues with opponents Derby County. Nigel was at the helm of the Rams between 2009 and 2013, steadying the ship after their famous 2007-08 Premier League relegation. After what feels like an eternity of turmoil, Derby are finally able to look positively towards a League campaign again, and a freshly built squad that contains players of very notable quality for League One level have recorded a win and a defeat in their two fixtures so far. Liam Rosenoir’s side have impressed on both occasions, however.

A first competitive meeting between Mansfield Town and Derby County since September 2002 will undoubtedly have the away side marked as the favourites, but the hosts shouldn’t be ignored. A Nigel Clough side in a home League Cup tie is a promising combination. A strong starting eleven can certainly be expected and it is one that will look to harry opponents out of possession, capitalising on errors in the opposing half. It was seen on plenty of occasions during Clough’s long tenure at Burton Albion.

If Derby County shy away from a strong line-up at Field Mill, then it could be worth fancying the Stags to complete the job inside 90 minutes.

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