MATCH PREVIEW: SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
Round One of the 2016/17 EFL Cup has presented Cambridge United with the chance to take on SKY Bet Championship side Sheffield Wednesday at the Cambs Glass Stadium tonight (7:45pm).Having opened their League Two account with a 1-1 draw against Barnet on Saturday afternoon, Shaun Derry’s men will go toe-to-toe with the Owls only began their campaign two days ago with a 1-0 victory over recently relegated Aston Villa.
This is the first fixture in the League Cup that United have been drawn on home soil since their promotion back to the Football League in 2014, having faced Birmingham City and Rotherham United at their respective grounds in the previous two seasons.
Tonight’s sides have not met since their League Cup clash in 1998, with an infamous equalising goal in the second leg of the tie from the U’s Trevor Benjamin proving to be the decisive factor on that occasion.
Much like that evening, the Owls arrive in Cambridge as strong favourites to progress through tonight’s First Round EFL Cup tussle, and are strongly equipped this season under the managerial steer of Portuguese Carlos Carvalhal to once again do well in the Sky Bet Championship.
Having just missed out in the Championship Play-off final last year, the South Yorkshire outfit opened their account for the 2016/17 season with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Hillsborough two days ago, with star man Fernando Forestieri scoring his first goal of the new campaign.
The Italian is just one of many exciting attacking players within the Owls ranks, which includes Gary Hooper and summer signing Steven Fletcher, whilst at the back Glenn Loovens and Tom Lees form a menacing prospect.
Wednesday lead the head-to-head records between the teams, having claimed nine wins to the U’s three.
Shaun Derry commented on the fixture: he said: “Sheffield Wednesday are a great side and their name is synonymous across English Football.
“They have good history in this competition as previous winners, and their flair as a team last season had them just 90 minutes away from a place in the Premier League.
“So we know the challenge we face tonight and that the odds are probably stacked against us, but on home soil in front of a bumper crowd anything is possible and that’s what we must strive to achieve.
“The impact a positive cup run can have on a team’s season means that we’ll be taking every cup fixture as seriously as our League encounters.”
Tickets for the match can be purchased online here or by calling 01223 566 500. Alternatively head to the ticket office and secure your place right up to kick off.