Football League newboys Fleetwood are among three sides who hope to cause an upset in the Capital One Cup first round on Monday evening and following a weekend of shocks in the competition, the scope is there for further surprises.
Fleetwood’s first ever League Cup tie could not be much bigger, with two-time European champions Nottingham Forest the visitors to Highbury Stadium (Match Betting – Fleetwood 5/2, draw 13/5, Forest 4/5).
Boss Micky Mellon has been busy over the summer, bringing in 11 players in an attempt to establish the club in League Two. The likes of Youl Mawene, David Ball, Conor McLaughlin and Jon Parkin could all make their debut on Monday evening.
Forest, who staved off the threat of relegation from the Championship last term, have also been busy in the transfer market following their take-over by Kuwaiti businessman Fawaz Al Hasawi.
Adlene Guedioura, Danny Collins, Greg Halford, Dan Harding, Simon Gillett and Daniel Ayala have all been snapped up by Sean O’Driscoll, who replaced Steve Cotterill soon after the takeover.
With so many new faces on show it is tricky for the punter to pick a winner, though Forest’s Championship status means they are 4/5 favourites. However, Fleetwood have crucial momentum following their promotion and this could be the stage to announce their arrival as a league club in style. A 2-1 Fleetwood win is priced at a tempting 12/1.
Sheffield Wednesday and Oldham were in the same division last season, but Wednesday’s dramatic last day promotion to the Championship in May means they now occupy the position of giants in this fixture (Match Betting – Oldham 13/5 draw 5/2, Sheff Wed Evs).
That promotion was the culmination of a sharp rise in form under boss Dave Jones, who took over at the start of March and did not lose a match for the rest of the campaign, the club eventually finishing second behind champions Charlton.
Like Fleetwood, that momentum, which has seen them win 11 and draw three since losing to Chesterfield on February 18, means they should be confident, even with Oldham’s home advantage.
However, Latics fans will point to a 2-1 pre-season friendly win over champions Manchester City as cause for optimism and you have to wonder whether Wednesday’s minds will be focused on the cup, when a good start back in the Championship is so important.
For that reason, a narrow 1-0 Oldham win is worth considering and priced at a tantalising 15/2.
Huddersfield and Preston are two other sides who were both in League One last season (Match Betting – Preston 15/8, draw 12/5, Huddersfield 11/8), but the Terriers grabbed the final promotion spot following a dramatic penalty shoot-out win against Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley in May.
It wasn’t too long ago that Preston were a Championship side pushing for promotion to the top flight, but a turbulent few seasons both on and off the pitch saw them go through four managers in five years, drop into League One and finish in a lowly 15th last season.
Manager Graham Westley, who replaced Phil Brown in February, has attempted to revamp the squad over the summer, bringing in 13 new players. This ‘new-look’ Preston may have enough to cause a surprise, given Town will be without several key players due to international call-ups.
One of those players is prolific striker Jordan Rhodes, who scored 40 goals last season and has been linked with a summer move to Premier League.
However, the jury is still out on Westley and Preston and the far more settled Huddersfield squad should have enough to progress in this one. A 2-0 Town win is priced at 10/1.
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