Bolton Wanderers and Salford City face off in the opening round of the 2022-23 EFL Cup at the University of Bolton Stadium on Tuesday.
The teams have both made decent starts to their respective league campaigns and will be looking to keep up their good form in this one.
Match preview
Bolton Wanderers picked up their first three points of the season courtesy of a resounding 3-0 victory over Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.
Two well-taken goals from Kyle Dempsey either side of Aaron Morley's strike left Ian Evatt ecstatic at the sound of the final whistle.
With four points from a possible six so far, the Trotters sit third in the League One at the moment, two points adrift of current leaders Peterborough.
Coming up next is the challenge of an opposing side who have lost each of the previous two meetings between the teams by a combined score of 3-0.
Unbeaten in their most recent six matches on home turf across all competitions, Tuesday's hosts will be confident of coming out on top in front of their fans.
Salford had to settle for a share of the spoils in their clash with Swindon Town at the County Ground on Saturday which finished goalless.
Despite playing over 45 minutes of the contest with a man advantage, Neil Wood's men were unable to find the breakthrough as they spurned various opportunities.
As a result, the Ammies have dropped down to seventh place in the League Two standings but are just two points away from the top of the pile.
Off the back of consecutive clean sheets away from home, Tuesday's visitors will be looking to continue their newly-found defensive solidity on the road.
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Team News
Lloyd Isgrove continues his spell on the sidelines with a long-term knee injury, and the Welshman will not be available for Tuesday's game.
Kyle Dempsey was at the double on his return to the starting XI last time out, which should see him retain his place in the lineup here.
Twenty-two-year-old Elliot Simoes will have to wait a little longer for his Salford City debut as he remains down with a muscle problem.
Second-choice goalkeeper Joel Torrance could replace Tom King between the sticks, with Neil Wood expected to ring the changes for this one.
Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Iredale, Johnston, Santos, Jones, Bradley; Morley, Williams, Dempsey; Bakayoko, Afolayan
Salford City possible starting lineup:
Torrance; Nartey, Vassell, Lowe; Touray, Watt, Watson, Bolton; McAleny, Hendry, Brandon
We say: Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Salford City
Bolton have been a real force to reckon with on their own patch and boast a more experienced squad at this level. We fancy them to just about get the job done and progress into the next round of the EFL Cup.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
