After the excitement of their respective league openers on the weekend, Norwich City and Stevenage will clash at Carrow Road in the first round of this season's EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
The Canaries suffered a tricky start to their Championship campaign, whilst the Boro managed a narrow victory as they commenced their League One adventures on Saturday afternoon.
Match preview
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After losing their final match of the Championship regular season away at Birmingham City in May, Norwich's poor form on the road in the second tier continued into the 2024-25 season on Saturday afternoon, when the East Anglians suffered a shock defeat at the home of Oxford United.
Back at the top level of the EFL for the first time in two decades, the newly-promoted U's were keen to make their mark on the division, with goals either side of the half-time whistle from former Cardiff City striker Mark Harris and midfield enforcer Cameron Brannagan securing a 2-0 success.
Following an opening weekend failure in Oxfordshire, Norwich are currently occupying 23rd position in the very early Championship standings, with new head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup unable to achieve the flying start he would have desired from his maiden competitive outing.
Despite the disappointment of Saturday afternoon at the Kassam Stadium, the Canaries should be relatively confident of progressing into the second round of the EFL Cup against League One opposition, with Tuesday's hosts losing only four of their 23 league contests at Carrow Road last campaign.
Unlike the majority of clubs battling it out in the early stages this week, Norwich have considerable pedigree in the EFL Cup, having lifted the trophy on two occasions, firstly in 1962, with their latest triumph in the competition arriving at the end of the 1984-85 term.
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Returning to League One for the first time in a decade last season, Stevenage exceeded all expectations to finish ninth in the division, threatening a top-six push and only placing five points behind Barnsley in the playoffs by the conclusion of the 46-game schedule.
The Boro's quest for an unlikely promotion charge in 2024-25 started with a narrow victory on Saturday afternoon at Lamex Stadium, where a second-half strike from forward Elliott List was enough to secure maximum points against Shrewsbury Town, who appear set for a campaign of battling the drop.
Taking charge of the club near the end of the 2023-24 season in April, Alex Revell remains unbeaten from his three matches at the helm of Stevenage, although that invincibility tag will come under severe threat from the challenge of second-tier Norwich at Carrow Road on Tuesday.
Making the net ripple on 18 occasions in League One last season, Jamie Reid spent a chunk of the summer on international duty with Northern Ireland but is a major absentee for the Boro at the start of this term as the forward takes time off due to an unspecified medical condition.
Stevenage will be looking for a repeat of their antics in the first round of the EFL Cup last season, when the third-tier side managed to advance into the next stage thanks to a penalty-shootout success over a Championship outfit, with Watford failing to win out from 12 yards at Lamex Stadium.
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Team News
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Norwich are set to be without the services of Jonathan Rowe, who made himself unavailable for Saturday's defeat at Oxford amid transfer interest from French club Marseille.
As a result, the likes of Christian Fassnacht and Borja Sainz are preparing for increased workloads on the flanks, although they could be rested ahead of the Canaries' Championship clash this weekend.
Ashley Barnes remains sidelined as he recovers from surgery on a calf injury sustained last term, meaning that Celtic-linked Adam Idah could start up front.
After keeping a clean sheet on the opening weekend of the term, Stevenage could stick with a centre-back pairing of Dan Sweeney and Carl Piergianni for Tuesday night.
If Revell opts to rotate his XI for the cup match, Louis Appere, Nick Freeman and Ben Thompson are all likely to earn promotions from the bench.
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Long; Stacey, Sorensen, Hanley, Doyle; Amankwah, McLean, Gibbs; Sainz, Fassnacht, Idah
Stevenage possible starting lineup:
Mahoney; Widlin, Sweeney, Piergianni, Freestone; L Thompson, Phillips, White, Kemp; List, Simpson
We say: Norwich City 2-0 Stevenage
Following their shock defeat on the weekend, Norwich will be desperate to put League One Stevenage to the sword in the cup at Carrow Road on Tuesday.
The Boro have a history of recording giant killings in recent times, but we feel that the third-tier visitors will fall to defeat in East Anglia with little fuss.
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