Accrington Stanley get their 2022-23 EFL Cup campaign underway when they go head to head with Tranmere Rovers at the Wham Stadium on Tuesday.
The Super White Army head into the game off the back of two successive defeats in their opening two games in the League Two and will be desperate to arrest this slump in form.
Match preview
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Accrington Stanley picked up their first win of the new League One campaign last Saturday when they saw off 10-man Shrewsbury Town at the Montgomery Waters Meadow.
In a game where Tom Flanagan received his marching orders, 22-year-old midfielder Tommy Leigh came up clutch for the visitors as he came off the bench to grab the only goal of the game with 13 minutes left to play.
Prior to that, John Coleman's men turned in a fine show of fighting spirit as they came from behind twice to salvage a 2-2 draw against Charlton Athletic in their league curtain-raiser on July 30.
Accrington Stanley head into Wednesday's game on a run of just one defeat on their home turf across all competitive competitions this year, with March's 2-1 loss against Gillingham being the only exception.
While they will look to maintain this fine record and kick off their cup campaign on a high, next up is an opposing side who are unbeaten in 10 of the last 11 meetings between the teams since 2008, claiming seven wins and three draws in that time.
Tranmere Rovers, on the other hand, failed to get up and running in the League Two as they were condemned to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mansfield Town last Saturday.
In an end-to-end affair at the Field Mill Stadium, 21-year-old defender Riley Harbottle netted on the hour mark and his strike was enough to hand the hosts their first win of the season.
Prior to that, Micky Mellon's men enjoyed a decent pre-season where they picked up three wins from their five games before kicking off their 2022-23 campaign with a 2-1 home loss against Stevenage on July 30.
The Super White Army now temporarily turn their attention to the EFL Cup where they suffered a first-round exit from the competition last season courtesy of a penalty shoot-out defeat against Oldham Athletic.
While Tranmere Rovers will be looking to avoid a second consecutive first-round exit, they have managed just one win in their last 11 competitive away games across all competitions, losing seven and picking up three draws in that time.
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Team News
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Accrington Stanley will be without the services of 33-year-old defender Michael Nottingham, who has been sidelined since April through a muscle injury.
Northern Irish midfielder David Morgan is also out of contention for the home side after the 28-year-old came off injured in February's game against Wycombe Wanderers.
Coleman will also have to make do with the absence of versatile defender Jay Rich-Baghuelou, who was hooked off injured inside the opening 21 minutes against Shrewsbury Town last time out.
On the other hand, Tranmere Rovers will be without Joel Mumbongo, who is yet to feature this year after coming off injured in December's 5-1 victory over Fleetwood.
Tom Davies and Kieron Morris have both missed the last three games due to injury, while 27-year-old defender Jordan Turnbull has been out of action since May's game against Salford.
Accrington Stanley possible starting lineup:
Marosi; Pennington, Dunkley, Flanagan; Da Costa, Nurse, Moore; Leahy, Shipley, Bayliss
Tranmere Rovers possible starting lineup:
Doohan; Robinson, Byrne, Jameson; Cogley, Bristow, McAlear, O'Connor, Lewis; Nevitt, Hemmings
We say: Accrington Stanley 2-1 Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers will head into Tuesday needing a pick-me-up after losing their opening two games of the season. Accrington Stanley, meanwhile, have hit their stride and will be looking to build on Saturday's win over Shrewsbury Town. Looking at the gulf in class between the two sides and their contrasting form, we predict that the hosts will claim the win in this one.
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