EFL Cup | Third Round

Sep 24, 2024 at 8pm UK

Adams Park

Wycombe vs Aston Villa

Match preview

After putting in what Unai Emery later described as their worst half of football since he arrived in Birmingham, Aston Villa managed to turn Saturday's Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers totally on its head during the second half.

Following up a fightback win over Everton seven days earlier - not to mention an impressive midweek victory on their Champions League debut - Villa recovered from one goal down, with their revival sparked by an Ollie Watkins equaliser.

Midlands rivals Wolves then crumbled, as Ezri Konsa and super-sub Jhon Duran completed the turnaround, moving Emery's men onto 12 points from a possible 15 in the Premier League.

Ahead of a weekend game against Ipswich Town - soon followed by a prestigious visit from Bayern Munich - Villa turn their attention to another cup competition, as they ultimately aim to end a long wait for silverware, having come up short in the Conference League semi-finals last season.

Emery is sure to rotate his resources in midweek, after staying loyal to most of his starting XI so far, but the Villans' Basque boss always demands an intense approach regardless of the opponent.

Most recently winners in 1996, Aston Villa have been eliminated in the EFL Cup's third round for each of the last three seasons, but they have not exited at this stage to lower-league opposition since 2008, when Queens Park Rangers knocked them out.

Wycombe Wanderers will host Villa for the first time since a third-round tie in the 2016 FA Cup, when they pulled off a 1-1 draw at Adams Park before winning 2-0 in a replay at Villa Park.

However, in the League Cup, they have suffered two crushing second-round defeats to the West Midlands club, in both 2003 (5-0) and two years later (8-3).

Following wins over Northampton Town and Swansea City in previous rounds, the Chairboys have set up another encounter on Tuesday, in which they will hope to fare much better having just gone six games unbeaten.

Wycombe have reached round three for the third time since 2018 - the joint-most times of any club from outside England's top two tiers (level with Lincoln City) - but only once have they gone further.

They memorably went all the way to the semi-finals in 2007, and Matt Bloomfield's team will dream of taking another step towards emulating that squad this year, following back-to-back League One wins over the past few days.

Recent Performance

Wycombe Wanderers EFL Cup form:WW

Wycombe Wanderers form (all competitions):

WWDWWW

Aston Villa form (all competitions):

WLWWWW

Injuries and suspensions

Aston Villa

5 Tyrone Mings

30 Kortney Hause

2 Matty Cash

44 Boubacar Kamara

Wycombe Wanderers

No sidelined players

Possible starting lineups for both sides

Aston Villa（4-2-3-1）

23Martínez(GK)

26Bogarde(DR)

14Torres(DC)

4Konsa(DC)

12Digne(DL)

24Onana(DMC)

8Tielemans(DMC)

7McGinn(AMR)

27Rogers(AMC）

41Ramsey(AML)

11Watkins(FW)

Wycombe Wanderers（4-2-3-1）

1Ravizzoli(GK)

31Pattenden(DR)

25Skura(DC)

17Low(DC)

5Hartridge(DL)

16Bakinson(DMC)

8Butcher(DMC)

21Kodua(AMR)

4Scowen(AMC)

23Sadlier(AML)

24Kone(FW)