Both coming into this clash buoyed by wins on the weekend, Fleetwood Town and West Bromwich Albion will meet in the first round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
The Cod Army recorded a narrow success over Grimsby Town in League Two on Saturday, whilst the Baggies had a hat-trick hero to thank for maximum points at Queens Park Rangers.
Match preview
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Following a decade-long spell in League One, Fleetwood Town suffered relegation to the fourth tier of English football during the 2023-24 term, with a tally of 43 points from 46 league contests meaning that they finished in 22nd position, three points behind Burton Albion in the safety of 20th.
The Cod Army made the perfect start as they look to ensure that their stay in League Two is only for a single season on Saturday afternoon, when Highbury Stadium witnessed the hosts secure a one-goal success over Grimsby Town, who look set for a campaign of considerable struggle.
Joining from East Midlands outfit Burton during the summer transfer window, Mark Helm marked his maiden competitive appearance and start for Fleetwood with the game-winning strike in the 18th minute, with the former Manchester United youngster tipped to set League Two alight this season.
Taking his first senior managerial role, ex-Blackpool and Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam is the man tasked with guiding the Cod Army back to League One, despite the 38-year-old Scotsman only winning seven of his 24 matches in charge of the club since taking the reins in December 2023.
Fleetwood will be looking for a significant improvement on their 2023-24 performance in the EFL Cup, with Tuesday's hosts losing at the first stage of the competition to fellow fourth-tier side Port Vale 12 months ago, regardless of well-taken strikes from Cian Hayes and Ryan Graydon at Vale Park.
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After losing to four League One sides over the summer, West Brom proved that you cannot read too much into the results of pre-season friendlies, with the Black Country outfit recording a stellar 3-1 win over QPR at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon to commence their Championship campaign.
It appeared as if the Baggies were heading towards a troubling result in West London when Lucas Andersen put the R's ahead inside the opening 20 minutes, but a sensational hat-trick from Josh Maja secured maximum points for the visitors, sending a sold-out away end into hysterics.
Following an injury-riddled 2023-24 term, former Fulham marksman Maja will be overjoyed after his brilliant treble on the weekend, with the forward joining Dwight Gayle, Salomon Rondon, Romelu Lukaku and Peter Odemwingie as Albion players to net league hat-tricks since 2010.
Due to their two-goal success at Loftus Road, Carlos Corberan's troops are currently occupying second position in the very early Championship standings, with the West Midlands side targeting a top-six finish as a minimum as they strive for promotion to the Premier League.
Unlike the majority of the sides battling away in the first round, West Brom have considerable pedigree in the EFL Cup, lifting the trophy at the conclusion of the 1965-66 term, although the Baggies have been distinctly average in the competition over the past decade as they often field weakened XIs during the early rounds, as was the case at Stoke City last season.
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Team News
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After keeping a clean sheet against Grimsby on the weekend, Fleetwood should stick with a centre-back trio of Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu, Harrison Holgate and Zech Medley.
Helm is set to keep his spot in the XI, although the other attacking slots are more contentious, with Irishman Graydon potentially uprooting Tom Lonergan or Ronan Coughlan.
West Brom boss Corberan loves to make a host of changes for the early rounds of the EFL Cup, so expect John Swift, Tom Fellows and hat-trick hero Maja to drop out of the side.
Ousmane Diakite, Lewis Dobbin, Devante Cole and former Juventus left-back Gianluca Frabotta are all in line to make their competitive debuts for the Baggies.
The visitors remain without the services of club captain Jed Wallace, who is expected to return to action in September following a calf injury.
Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:
Harrington; Sarpong-Wiredu, Holgate, Medley; Johnston, Mayor, Bonds, Hunt, Helm; Graydon, Coughlan
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Wildsmith; Furlong, Taylor, Hall, Frabotta; Diakite, Molumby; Dobbin, Heard, Grant; Cole
We say: Fleetwood Town 1-2 West Bromwich Albion
Should they field a strong starting XI, Fleetwood have a good chance of springing a surprise against their Championship visitors on Tuesday night.
West Brom's second-string side could start slowly at Highbury Stadium, although we are backing the Baggies to finish well and book their spot in the next round.
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Carter White
