The Carabao Cup is already underway as Rochdale got past Tranmere Rovers in Penalties and Crawley Town took care of York City. This preliminary round has now set the stage for Round 1, where all tier 2, 3, and 4 teams enter the competition, excluding Tranmere and York City who have already been eliminated.
Bristol City over Walsall
Bristol City should be a mid table team in the Championship, and I don’t think Walsall has the firepower needed to come out on top.
Wolverhampton Wanderers over Port Vale
Both recently demoted teams, but Wolves are a season removed from the Premier League, and Port Vale is now in League Two, should be an easy game for Wolves.
Wycombe Wanderers over Stevenage
Stevanage finished 12 points above Wycombe Wanderers last season in League One, but I think Wycombe is the better team this season and have the home field in this one.
Middlesbrough over Wrexham
Wrexham has a lot of fans, but this is a tough draw for them. Middlesbrough finished 9 points clear of Wrexham in the Championship, and seems to still be a tier above in my opinion. Middlesbrough also gets the match at home, which is enough for me to say that they come out on top.
Barnet over Cambridge United
My first big upset pick, Barnet finished just 6 points shy of Cambridge in League Two last season. Yes, Cambridge United promoted, and get this match at home, but I like Barnet to take this one as a sizeable underdog.
Millwall over Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers gets this fixture at home, but Millwall finished 25 points above them last season and are just a different tier of football club at the moment.
Norwich City over Milton Keynes Dons
I like MK Dons, but Norwich City is a top half side in the Championship and should come away with this one.
Chesterfield over Fleetwood Town
I’m taking the away side in a battle of League Two teams. I rate Chesterfield pretty highly and expect them to be battling for promotion this season, and that starts by outclassing Fleetwood Town in the cup.
Blackburn Rovers over Burton Albion
Burton Albion are the home team, but they’re playing a team a tier above them, while they may struggle to even avoid relegation at League One this year, I think Blackburn Rovers are the better team and find the win away from home.
Bromley over Reading
Bromley promoted to League One by winning League Two last season, and now faces another League One foe in the cup. I’m picking Reading to finish higher than Bromley on the season, but in the cup, with Bromley hosting and coming off promotion, I’m picking them to come out on top.
AFC Wimbledon over Newport County
I think AFC Wimbledon may be at risk of demotion from League One, but they have home field and play against Newport County, one of the consistently weaker teams in League Two and should have an easy path forward.
Salford City over Shrewsbury Town
Salford City plays at home against Shrewsbury Town, a team they cleared by 32 points last season. Salford City is my pick to win the league and I expect them to win this one with ease.
Swansea City over Birmingham City
Both teams ended up on 64 points in the Championship last season, and Swansea City is at home, so even though Birmingham is favored in this one, I’m going with Swansea.
Stockport County over Doncaster Rovers
Stockport County finished 17 points up on Doncaster in Doncaster’s first season back in League One. At home, I think Stockport gets it done.
Barnsley over Wigan Athletic
Barnsley finished just 3 points ahead of Wigan Athletic last season, but were the better team. They’re also the home team in this match so I went with them, but this one could go either way.
Stoke City over Oldham Athletic
Stoke City isn’t a top tier team in the Championship or anything, but they’re plenty good enough to beat tier 4 Oldham Athletic at home.
Cardiff City over Swindon Town
Cardiff City just promoted back into Championship. They should have a significant advantage over League Two side Swindon Town. To add a little insult to injury for Swindon Town, Cardiff City is at home as well.
Bradford City over Rochdale
Rochdale just promoted into League Two, and beat fellow League Two side Tranmere Rovers in the preliminary round. But Bradford City aren’t just a League One team, they’re a top tier League One team playing at home. Rochdale’s opening win was impressive, but this should be where their run ends.
Sheffield Wednesday over Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers promoted to the Championship despite a 5th place finish in the League One table. Sheffield Wednesday was demoted from the Championship following a weird 0 point season with 18 points deducted. Without the deduction, they still would’ve finished last in the Championship by a good margin. With new ownership though the club looks to return to former glory, and I think it starts with an upset here in the Cup.
Derby County over Lincoln City
Lincoln City promoted to the Championship with a dominant League One campaign, but the home side Derby County are a strong Championship side in their own right and I think they come out on top.
West Ham United over Portsmouth
This is a battle of Championship teams, but they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum. West Ham United was narrowly relegated from the Premier League, while Portsmouth narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship. Naturally, West Ham United are big favorites, especially at home.
Peterborough United over Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers is the favorite as the home team, but they were a mid table team in League Two last season following their demotion. Peterborough United were nearly relegated from League One, but I still believe they have what it takes to come out on top of this one, even on the road as an underdog.
Leyton Orient over Oxford United
Oxford United just demoted down to League One and face fellow League One side Leyton Orient. Leyton Orient finished near the bottom last season, but I’m expecting a big bounce back from them, and as the home team I think they can upset Oxford.
Preston North End over Huddersfield Town
Preston is in the lower end of the Championship, while Huddersfield is in the upper echelon of League One. This one could be close, but I decided to play it safe and go with Preston.
Burnley over Notts County
While I’m not extremely high on Burnley’s chances following their demotion from the Premier League, Notts County a team who promoted to League One following a 5th place finish, is not the type of team I think can upset Burnley.
Luton Town over Gillingham
Luton Town is one of the best clubs in League One, so I’m taking them to win this one, even if they have to go on the road to face League Two side Gillingham.
Grimsby Town over Blackpool
They are at home, which helps, but I just have a feeling League Two’s Grimsby Town has was it takes against League One’s Blackpool.
Crewe Alexandra over Accrington Stanley
Crewe finished 14 points ahead of Accrington last season, and they get this one at home, so this was an easy pick for me to go with Crewe.
Leicester City over Northampton Town
Leicester City has had a shocking double demotion and now resides in League One, even so, they should be one of the most feared clubs at that level. Northampton Town, on the other hand, was just demoted from League One to League Two. Leicester City is at home, and should be able to run away with this one.
Watford over Crawley Town
Crawley Town is one of the weakest teams in League Two and they face an enormous uphill climb taking on League Two’s Watford. Watford is the biggest betting favorite of Round 1, and I’m not going against that.
Southampton over Colchester United
Colchester United are a nice middle table League Two team, with home field advantage in this one. Southampton, though, is one of the best teams in the Championship, who played their way into the Premier League but was denied promotion due to violating league regulations. They are more than capable of winning this one on the road.
Charlton Athletic over Cheltenham Town
If there was a tier 4 over tier 2 upset to pick, it would probably be this one. Charlton Athletic narrowly avoided relegation this past season, and Cheltenham Town is at home. Even still, there is a big gap of talent, and Cheltenham Town isn’t even a top tier team as far as League Two goes, so I ultimately went with the favorites in Charlton.
West Bromwich Albion over Rotherham United
West Brom narrowly escaped relegation last season, but I expect them to bounce back and have a respectable Championship campaign. Rotherham United weren’t so lucky and did get relegated from League One to League Two. They are the home team in this one, but I don’t think that’s enough to cover the gap in talent, so I’m going with West Brom.
Sheffield United over Mansfield Town
Sheffield United was a mid table team in the Championship last season, but before that they had been flirting with Premier League promotion. Mansfield Town is a mid table League One team, with the home field advantage, but I struggle to see them beating Sheffield.
Plymouth Argyle over Exeter City
Plymouth Argyle has home field advantage over a team they cleared by 24 points last season. I expect Plymouth Argyle to have an even better League One season this year, while Exeter City has been demoted to League 2. This is an easy pick for me, it’s Plymouth.
Final Words
Unfortunately, we got a lot of disjointed matchups this year in Round 1, but we do have quite a few lower tier teams hosting, which is always fun. We do actually have 5 Championship vs Championship clashes which adds some extra intrigue to this first round. Middlesbrough vs Wrexham, while an unlucky draw for both teams, is definitely the match of the round.
