The Carabao Cup has entered its second phase this season, with teams from the Premier League that are not involved in any European competition entering the fray to play against the teams from the Football League that successfully navigated their first-round fixtures.
Carabao Cup Second Round Preview
Round Two’s Big Games
Stoke City v Huddersfield Town
You would be forgiven for thinking this team sees a Premier League team host a Championship one such was the shock of Stoke’s relegation and Huddersfield’s Premier League survival, but the top-flight Terriers make the trip to the bet365 Stadium for this second round fixture after Stoke were given a bye through the opening round of games.
Stoke spent ten years at the top-level prior to their relegation so it was thought that they would have the quality to be able to come straight back up, but they have won just once and find themselves in the bottom half of the Championship under Gary Rowett. Huddersfield, meanwhile, have just one point from their opening three games and have only scored one goal, coming in a 6-1 thrashing at Manchester City.
The key talking point for this game is the battle between two wingers that swapped between these clubs in the summer. Tom Ince and Ramadan Sobhi will face up against each other in the opposite shirts from last season after their respective transfers and both will have a point to prove as they aim to get their new sides into the next round of the competition.
AFC Wimbledon v West Ham United
League One side AFC Wimbledon have the perfect opportunity to capitalise on West Ham’s poor start to life under Manuel Pellegrini. The Chilean has overseen defeats to Liverpool, Bournemouth and Arsenal in his three games in charge, with the Hammers scoring just twice and conceding nine.
The Dons, meanwhile, have made an average start to their League One campaign with five points from five games. An unbeaten start has seen them lose two on the trot at home, going down to Walsall and Sunderland, but a Premier League team will not be used to the close confinement of Kingsmeadow and Liverpool struggled to break down the Dons on their visit to the ground in the FA Cup in 2014/15.
Neal Ardley’s side will feel that they have a real chance to cause an upset here against a team that will be lacking in confidence following their defeats this season and can use their home advantage massively against the Hammers.
Bournemouth v MK Dons
Paul Tisdale takes his unbeaten MK Dons team to Premier League side Bournemouth for the first meeting between these two sides since 2013. Bournemouth will be looking to avoid an upset in one of only two games that features a top-flight club taking on a club from League Two; Fulham hosting Exeter City is the other.
MK Dons have previous in the second round of this competition after their historic 4-0 win over Manchester United in 2014/15. Will Grigg and Benik Afobe each grabbed a brace on that night as the Dons tore Louis van Gaal’s United to shreds and the run in the competition afterwards turned out to be the Dons’ best ever in the league cup.
While an upset is unlikely this time around with Bournemouth playing at home, they may become frustrated as the game goes on if the Dons can keep up their impressive defensive record that has seen them concede just twice in five games so far in League Two.
All Fixtures
Nothern Section
Blackburn Rovers v Lincoln City
Burton Albion v Aston Villa
Doncaster Rovers v Blackpool
Hull City v Derby County
Leeds United v Preston North End
Leicester City v Fleetwood Town
Middlesbrough v Rochdale
Sheffield Wednesday v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Walsall v Macclesfield Town
Stoke City v Huddersfield Town
West Bromwich Albion v Mansfield Town
Everton v Rotherham United (Thur)
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United (Thur)
Southern Section
Swansea City v Crystal Palace
AFC Wimbledon v West Ham United
Bournemouth v MK Dons
Brentford v Cheltenham Town
Brighton & Hove Albion v Southampton
Cardiff City v Norwich City
Fulham v Exeter City
Newport County v Oxford United
Queens Park Rangers v Bristol Rovers
Wycombe Wanderers v Forest Green Rovers
Millwall v Plymouth Argyle (Thur)
Reading v Watford (Thur)
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