Off we go with 13 more League Cup second-round ties.

Clinton Morrison
Former Birmingham striker on BBC Radio 5 Live at St Andrew's

Brentford have got a good chance of competing for European places but to win a cup, the club probably deserve it where they are at the moment.

Keith Andrews has done a fantastic job and I think they have got a great chance. That is why the team he has picked tonight is fairly strong.

Ipswich are back in the big time and they kicked off their Premier League campaign with a brilliant 2-1 win over Sunderland.

The Tractor Boys turn their attention to the cup tonight, with League One side Leicester hoping to put a dampener on the mood.

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Dan George
BBC Sport England at St Mary's

Image source, BBC Sport

Good evening from St Mary's Stadium where the sun is setting as we get ready to start this game.

West Ham have filled out their away end across from me but there is a reduced capacity inside the ground tonight with the Kingsland Stand closed for home supporters.

Southampton have gone strong for this game, playing some youngsters alongside an experienced core. West Ham look to have really rotated their side but have firepower on the bench.

This should be an intruiging watch, I'm sure both sides will really want a win for morale purposes, there is pressure on both managers at the moment.

Image source, Rex Features

There are no English players in Nottingham Forest's starting XI. Leeds have three - James Trafford, James Justin and Sean Longstaff.

There are four Welsh player starting this tie - Neco Williams (Forest), Joe Rodon (Leeds), Ethan Ampadu (Leeds) and Dan James (Leeds).

Can Oliver Glasner work his cup magic at Nottingham Forest?

The Austrian led Crystal Palace to their only two major trophies - the FA Cup and the Conference League (plus a Community Shield) in the previous two seasons.

"I always try to create an environment with the correct attitude to make it possible," he said.

"I'm no magician to make them win anything, but we will play to win the game."

He added: "If we don’t prioritise every competition then I would suggest we don’t play it. If it’s not important it’s better that we train and not play this.

"But we will take part and the aim in every cup competition has to be to win otherwise it makes no sense. Every team will have the same goal and in the end one will lift the trophy."

As recently as last year, Plymouth and Coventry were playing each other in the league. In fact Argyle won 3-1 in their last meeting in April 2025.

But it is now a League One v Premier League tie in the Carabao Cup.

How will Coventry respond to losing 3-0 to Arsenal on their top-flight return?

And can Plymouth build on their derby win over Exeter in the last round?

Rob Gurney
BBC Radio CWR Sport

There's a valid argument to further that the Sky Blues don't need any sort of cup run to distract them from the primary business of staying in the Premier League, after enduring a 25-year wait to get there.

Equally, nearly 1,800 fans are making the eight-hour-plus round trip on a Tuesday night to Home Park to support them, and they're owed a "proper" performance, whatever personnel Frank Lampard chooses to field.

Lampard's standards are such that he won't allow a half-hearted, sub-standard display to suffice against their League One opponents, and to that end, the expected wholesale changes to his line-up will only benefit those players if they go at it full tilt; to either force their way into his thinking for a Premier League place, or to make themselves attractive to potential suitors elsewhere, in what remains of the summer transfer window.

After despatching Devon rivals Exeter City with two stoppage-time goals in the previous round, the Argyle faithful will be well up for this one, so an uncomfortable night could be in prospect, unless Coventry's attitude is spot on.

Plymouth should find it difficult to bridge the now two division gap, but avoiding that early season banana skin will be Lampard's top priority, so therefore an intriguing evening awaits in the south west.

Plymouth boss Tom Cleverley thinks a break from the league may work in his team's favour.

Argyle have only picked up one point from their opening two League One fixtures.

"There's nothing to lose, and I think that that can be healthy for a team who has looked like it's playing with something to lose," he said.

"We have not been good enough with the ball for the first two league games. We look a little like a team that's got a bit of pressure, a bit more expectation than the opposition.

"With all respect to Stockport and Wycombe, playing for Argyle has a different kind of pressure than it does playing for those clubs.

"It's my job to get into the mentality of the players. I think having a little bit of a free hit tomorrow night, nothing to lose, will help that."

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Ipswich Town

On facing Leicester in the Carabao Cup second round tonight, Ipswich forward Chuba Akpom said: "You have to go for it in every game, whether that be a friendly or a cup match.

"Why be involved if you aren't going to compete or try to be the best? If it was in my hands, I would love to get to the Carabao Cup final this season and finish in the top half of the Premier League - that's why we are here.

"We are ambitious. We want to achieve certain things. Everyone should think alike. That's definitely the goal for me."

Russell Martin's Leicester are without a win in their opening two League One games but the Carabao Cup offers a chance to escape from that pressure.

He said: “I think there are going to be people who are desperate to play and feel better about their performance than they do today (Saturday). I expect the guys who played and are playing Tuesday to really want to put things right."

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Another League Cup game has just got under way as League One Doncaster host Middlesbrough of the Championship.

George Rees-Julian
BBC Sport Wales

There is a solid contingent of Norwich fans here in the Welsh capital, and they have just let out a roar after Mathias Kvistgaarden heads the visitors in front. That could be the spark that this game needs.

There's been a goal in the one League Cup game that is currently under way and it has gone to Norwich, Mathias Kvistgaarden firing them ahead at Cardiff.

Birmingham City hand first club starts to defenders Dael Fry and Kristoffer Lund with six changes from the side that began the 2-2 Champioship draw with Bristol City.

Birmingham City XI: Allsop, Lund, Klarer, Fry, Osayi-Samuel, Solis, Fujimoto, Vicente, Paik, Gray, Vazquez.

Subs: Beadle, Neumann, Cochrane, Laird, Roberts, Iwata, Stansfield, Priske, Ducksch.

Former England striker Callum Wilson makes his first competitive start for Brentford since joining them on a free transfer after his West Ham contract expired.

He is one of eight changes made by boss Keith Andrews following the 3-0 victory over Tottenham.

Brentford XI: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Schuster, Collins, Henry, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard, Ouattara, Janelt, Anthony, Wilson.

Subs: Kelleher, Ajer, Kayode, Lewis-Potter, Jensen, Carvalho, Sangare, Thiago, Schade.

Pat Nevin
Former Chelsea winger

The season has started with a bang. With so many new coaches and major squad upheavals, I expected the unexpected and wasn't disappointed.

Hull City seeing off Manchester United raised the most eyebrows. Remember, United ended last season impressively and their hosts just about squeezed up from the Championship, via the play-offs. These are early days and Michael Carrick's side will improve, so need to panic yet. As for Hull, their performance hinted at something else.

Brentford kicked off their Premier League campaign with a terrific 3-0 win over Spurs at home on Saturday.

After an impressive ninth-place finish last season, the Bees might want to get their hands on a piece of silverware.

Well, they have to come through at St Andrews first of all.

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Clinton Morrison
Former Birmingham striker on BBC Radio 5 Live at St Andrew's

Birmingham will be hoping [to pull off an upset] but even when Brentford make a lot of changes they have got some exerienced players in there and a good squad.

I think Birmingham need to go strong. They have got a fantastic home record and they got a draw at the weekend [against Bristol City] but didn't play particularly well. You just want to get that win.

You know what, you can progress in this tournament. You never know, it can breed confidence.

I think Brentford have got an outstanding second team so it should be a fascinating game.

Premier League Brentford start their Carabao Cup campaign tonight but Birmingham had to come through Swansea in the first round.

And they did so with flying colours in a 1-0 win.

Now though, the Championship side face a much tougher test.

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