Newport County host Brentford at Rodney Parade on Tuesday night, in the second round of the EFL Cup.
The hosts are currently plying their trade in League Two, sitting in sixth place, while the visitors are ninth in the Premier League.
Match preview
Newport have made a solid start to the season in League Two, having taken nine points from their opening five games, which leaves them in the playoff places, just one point off the automatic promotion spots.
On the opening day of the campaign, the Exiles came up short in a disappointing 3-0 loss at Accrington Stanley, but they have since bounced back, winning four of their last five games in all competitions.
Graham Coughlan‘s side have faced some tough opponents, travelling away from home to take on recently-relegated Forest Green Rovers earlier this month, but they emerged 3-0 winners, while they also recorded a promising 4-0 victory against Doncaster Rovers.
Last time out, Newport struggled for periods of the game at home against Sutton United, but they scored three late goals to win the game 3-1, meaning they are on a two-game winning run heading into a tough game, against Premier League opponents.
To reach this stage of the competition, the Exiles managed to defeat Charlton Athletic of League One, which shows they have what it takes to go toe-for-toe with teams in higher divisions, but they are set for a much tougher test on Tuesday night.
Indeed, Brentford will undoubtedly head into Tuesday’s game as favourites, given that they are three divisions higher than their opponents, and they have made a solid start to the Premier League season.
In their opening three games, the Bees have collected five points, having come up against three of their London rivals, starting the season off with a 2-2 draw at home against a Tottenham Hotspur side who have won their other two league games this season.
Since then, Thomas Frank‘s side have gone on to collect four points from their last two games, picking up a very good result in their first away game of the season, defeating Fulham 3-0 courtesy of a goal from Yoane Wissa and a Bryan Mbeumo brace.
Having picked up a win in their opening away match, Brentford should be full of confidence heading into a game against lower-league opposition, but they were held to a draw at home again at the weekend, sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace.
Team News
If Newport County are to stand any chance of progressing to the next round of the EFL Cup, they will need to start a strong side, so it would be surprising if Coughlan makes wholesale changes, but he could rotate his team.
Omar Bogle could get the nod over Sebastian Palmer-Houlden in attack, as the 19-year-old has failed to score in his last three games, while James Waite may replace Aaron Wildig in the middle of the park.
Brentford have a couple of players missing through injury, with Shandon Baptiste still out due to a shoulder problem, which has ruled him out of the last two games, while Josh Dasilva is sidelined with a thigh issue.
Ben Mee is also a doubt, as a result of a muscle injury which has ruled him out of the Bees’ first three league games this season, so Ethan Pinnock and Nathan Collins may start at centre-back.
There could also be some game time for younger players, with 22-year-old Keane Lewis-Potter and Michael Olakigbe in contention to start on the flanks.
Newport County possible starting lineup:
Townsend; McLoughlin, Clarke, Delaney, Lewis; Bennett, Charsley, Wildig, Morris; Evans, Bogle
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Balcombe; Hickey, Collins, Pinnock, Henry; Onyeka, Norgaard, Janelt; Lewis-Potter, Olakigbe, Wissa
We say: Newport County 0-2 Brentford
Although they are likely to make a few changes to their starting lineup, Brentford should have more than enough quality to breeze past Newport County and book their place in the next round.
The Bees made a push for the European spots last season, but they will be hoping they can go further in the EFL Cup, having exited at the third round stage against Gillingham in the previous campaign.
