On Tuesday evening, the first match in Group K of the EFL Trophy will see AFC Wimbledon take on Stevenage at The Cherry Red Records Stadium.
The hosts come into this match off the back of a 2-2 draw against Newport County last weekend, while the visitors secured a 3-0 victory over Leyton Orient in League One.
Match preview
© Reuters
Wimbledon will be hoping for a better 2023-24 season, having ended the last campaign down in 21st place in League Two and just five points clear of Hartlepool, who were the first side below the dotted line.
The Dons will be fairly content with their start to the campaign as their 2-2 draw against Newport County over the weekend maintained their unbeaten record in the league this season, leaving them on 10 points after six matches and in fifth place.
Across all competitions, Johnnie Jackson's side have won three, drawn four and lost only one match this term, which was against Premier League opponents Chelsea in the Carabao Cup second round last week.
They had a solid run in this competition last season as they topped their group with seven points in their three matches and went on to the third knockout round, where they were beaten by Plymouth Argyle on penalties.
Wimbledon lost both their League Two encounters against this opponent last season, which sees them come into this match as the underdogs, according to the bookmaker odds.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, Stevenage had a very good season last term, finishing second in League Two with 85 points after 46 matches and earned promotion back to League One at the first time of asking.
Boro have also begun the 2023-24 campaign very well, securing 13 points in their first six matches in the league, and are already in third place in the early stages, level on points with Exeter City, Bolton and Port Vale.
Steve Evans's side have won five, drawn one and lost two of their eight matches in all competition this season, and while they managed to overcome Watford in the Carabao Cup first round, they were knocked out of that competition by Exeter City on penalties last week.
Still, they bounced back well to beat Leyton Orient fairly comprehensively over the weekend, and with a very good record against this opponent, including five wins in their last seven meetings, the visitors will be expecting to get their EFL Trophy campaign off to a winning start here.
Team News
© Reuters
Jackson has two injury absentees in this match, with Paul Kalambayi and Huseyin Biler ruled out with a knee and hamstring injury, respectively.
James Tilley has been in excellent form in the early stages of this season, scoring six in his last five matches, including a brace over the weekend, and he will almost certainly continue on the right flank in this one.
For the visitors, Jake Forster-Caskey will serve the final of his three-match ban in this match after he was shown a straight red against Portsmouth two weeks ago.
Jordan Roberts has been the most creative player for Boro this season and should retain his place in the number 10 role behind Jamie Reid and Manchester United loanee Charlie McNeill.
AFC Wimbledon possible starting lineup:
Bass; Ogundere, Lewis, Johnson, Brown; Neufville, Ball, Williams, Tilley; Al-Hamadi, Davison
Stevenage possible starting lineup:
Ashby-Hammond; Sweeney, Thompson, Piergianni; Wildin, Freeman, Burns, Butler, Roberts; Reid, McNeill
We say: AFC Wimbledon 1-2 Stevenage
While both sides have made promising starts to the season, the visitors have an excellent record against this opponent and will be aiming to go deep in this competition. We expect this to be a back-and-forth encounter with lots of chances created, but we fancy Boro to secure the win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
