Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s EFL Cup clash between Harrogate Town and Lincoln City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Harrogate Town will be looking to upset the odds when they welcome Lincoln to the Exercise Stadium for a first round EFL Cup clash this Tuesday night.
The Sulphurites have enjoyed a strong start to their League Two season and will be looking to use that momentum when they take on the Imps.
Match preview
Harrogate Town kicked off their sixth straight season in the Football League with an impressive away victory against Bristol Rovers.
The Sulphurites were heading for back-to-back league wins when they took a 3-1 lead against Grimsby last week, though they threw away their advantage and conceded two goals in the final six minutes.
Despite the disappointing finish to the game, Harrogate will take confidence from taking four points from their opening two matches.
Their next challenge promises to be their hardest one yet, as Harrogate prepare to take on League One opposition in the EFL Cup.
Town have struggled in the competition since their debut in 2021, with the club failing to progress past the second round.
Lincoln City, on the other hand, boast some impressive recent runs in the competition – including a fourth round appearance during the 2022-23 season.
The club, who have a recent FA Cup quarter-final appearance under their belts, enjoyed a mixed start to their league campaign.
The Imps welcomed Reading to Sincil Bank on the opening weekend of the campaign and came away with a solid 2-0 victory in front of their home fans.
Lincoln failed to bag successive wins when their trip to AFC Wimbledon a week later finished in a disappointing 2-0 defeat.
Harrogate Town form (all competitions):
W D
Lincoln City form (all competitions):
W L
Harrogate Town are dealing with a number of injuries in these early weeks of the season, with four players set to be on the sidelines for Tuesday’s fixture.
Mason Bennett, Jack Muldoon, Levi Sutton and George Thomson are all recovering from various problems and are not available for selection.
Lincoln, meanwhile, head into the match without the suspended Adam Jackson, who picked up a straight red card against Wimbledon.
The Imps are also missing the injured trio of Ben House, Dom Jefferies and Lewis Montsma.
Harrogate Town possible starting lineup: Belshaw; Burrell, Bradbury, O’Connor, Cass; Evans, Morris; Duke-McKenna, Smith, Taylor; McCoulsky
Lincoln City possible starting lineup: Wickens; Towler, Bradley, Hamer, Darikwa; Bayliss, McGrandles; Hackett-Fairchild, Moylan, Street; Collins
We say: Harrogate Town 2-1 Lincoln City
Harrogate are a tough side to crack at home, with the Yorkshire outfit even enjoying a 10-match unbeaten run at the Exercise Stadium last season.
Lincoln have done well in the cup in previous years, but we are backing the hosts to prevail in what should be a close contest.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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