Championship side Stoke City will be hoping to progress from the third round of the EFL Cup when they host League Two club Fleetwood Town on Tuesday at the Bet365 Stadium.
The home team beat Middlesbrough 5-0 in the previous round of the competition on August 27, while the visitors emerged 2-1 victors in the second round against Rotherham United on the same date.
Match preview
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Stoke's EFL Cup campaign has been a welcome distraction from what has been a frustrating start to their 2024-25 league season given they have lost three of their five fixtures in the Championship.
The hosts are currently 13th with six points after five matchweeks, and in their last game they lost 1-0 against Oxford United on September 14.
Boss Steven Schumacher accepted that his side were deservedly beaten, saying that his team struggled against Oxford because unlike in their previous games, their opponents defended deep and left little space to counter-attack into.
Schumacher fielded Stoke's youngest ever staring XI during their victory against Middlesbrough in the previous round of the EFL Cup, and while the Potters were arguably fortunate to keep a clean sheet, they still managed to create five big chances with just 34% possession.
Stoke have won four of their last six games in the competition, though they were eliminated from last season's edition of the tournament in the third round when they lost 2-0 against Bournemouth in September 2023.
The Potters have lost three of their last five competitive fixtures and have won one and lost one of their two home matches this season.
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As for the visitors, they had to come from behind to beat League One side Rotherham in the second round of the EFL Cup after they conceded just two minutes in, but goals from Ryan Graydon in the 16th and 27th minute ensured that Fleetwood progressed from the tie.
Fleetwood are currently 12th in League Two with eight points after five matchweeks, though they have played a game less than 10 of the 11 teams above them in the table and would rise to seventh if they were to win their game in hand.
In their most recent match, the Fishermen beat Carlisle United 3-2 but surrendered a 2-0 lead before Daniel Mayor scored the winner in the 67th minute.
Tuesday's game against Stoke will be the second time this season that Fleetwood have played a Championship side in the EFL Cup, but it will also be a return to the Bet365 Stadium for manager Charlie Adam, who spent seven seasons at the Potters as a player.
Adams's side come into the game having won just one of their three away matches in 2024-25 and having lost two of their last three games, though prior to this they were unbeaten in their previous five competitive fixtures.
Regardless, the Fleetwood boss will take confidence from his side's 2-1 win in the first round of the EFL Cup on August 13 against Championship side West Bromwich Albion.
Team News
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The hosts will be without defenders Enda Stevens and Michael Rose, as well as midfielder Ben Pearson, until late September.
Stoke will also be unable to select forward Sam Gallagher, while Schumacher suggested that Lynden Gooch picked up a medial ligament injury in his side's loss against Oxford.
Meanwhile, Zech Medley is set to miss most of the season for the visitors after he suffered an Achilles injury against Gillingham on August 24.
Charlie Adam could select a similar XI to the one that beat Rotherham, so expect the likes of Elliot Bonds, Matthew Virtue-Thick and Danny Mayor to feature in midfield.
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Tchamadeu, Phillips, Dixon, Bocat; Burger, Sidibe; Koumas, Moran, Tezgel; Mmaee
Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:
Lynch; Sarpong-Wiredu, Holgate, Hughes; Johnston, Virtue-Thick, Bonds, Mayor, Hunt; Helm, Odubeko
We say: Stoke City 1-2 Fleetwood Town
Given that Fleetwood have already beaten two sides from higher divisions in the EFL Cup this season, it would not be surprising if they were to do so again on Tuesday.
Additionally, if Stoke field a similarly youthful XI to the one that beat Middlesbrough, the visitors could look to take advantage of their hosts' inexperience.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
