Championship side Queens Park Rangers will head to League One outfit Charlton Athletic on Tuesday evening looking to book their spot in the second round of the EFL Cup.
The visitors will enter the contest off the back of a 3-2 win over Middlesbrough in the Championship on Saturday, while Charlton recorded a 1-0 victory over Derby County in League One on the same afternoon.
Charlton finished 13th in League One last season, picking up 59 points from their 46 matches, 24 points off the playoffs, which is an indication of the improvement that needs to be made if they are to challenge for a return to the Championship for the 2023-24 campaign.
The Addicks have made a strong start to their 2022-23 League One season, opening with a 2-2 draw against Accrington Stanley on July 30 before beating Derby 1-0 on Saturday to move onto four points, which has left them in fifth position in the table.
Charlton have never won the League Cup but did lift the FA Cup back in 1947, recording a 1-0 victory over Burnley, with Chris Duffy coming up with the only goal of the match.
Ben Garner’s side will feel that they have bigger fish to fry this season, but a run in the EFL Cup could help them in the league, as they look to gain momentum in the early stages of the campaign.
QPR, meanwhile, opened their 2022-23 Championship campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on July 30, but they recorded a 3-2 win over Middlesbrough in the league on Saturday.
Michael Beale’s side scored three times in the opening 38 minutes of the match to place themselves in a strong position to claim all three points, and they managed to hold on for the victory despite Boro answering back with two goals of their own either side of the interval.
The Hoops were 11th in the Championship last season, nine points off the playoffs, and it will be fascinating to see where Beale can lead them, with the 41-year-old being appointed first-team manager in June following a spell as a coach at Aston Villa under Steven Gerrard.
QPR won the League Cup back in 1967, recording a 3-2 win over West Bromwich Albion in the final, while they also reached the final of the 1982 FA Cup.
Rangers beat Leyton Orient, Oxford United and Everton in the early rounds of last season’s League Cup but were ultimately knocked out on penalties by Sunderland in the round of 16.
Charlton Athletic form (all competitions):
DW
Queens Park Rangers form (all competitions):
LW
We say: Charlton Athletic 0-1 Queens Park Rangers
This has all of the makings of an interesting match, especially with both managers set to ring the changes. QPR will be able to call upon the better quality, though, and we are tipping Rangers to book their spot in the second round of the competition with a narrow success.