Oldham Athletic will make the short 54-mile round trip to face Accrington Stanley in the final of the Carabao Cup preliminary round, with both clubs looking to qualify for the competition’s first round.
Key Focus Points
Both sides drew in their respective league openers (Accrington 1‑1 at home to Gillingham, and Oldham 0‑0 away at MK Dons). With both sides making a steady start, they will look to kick on and fire up their seasons with a win.
In terms of their head-to-head record, the last meeting between these two clubs was 4 years ago in August 2021, competing in the same competition they look to qualify for this evening. This encounter finished in a 0-0 draw which saw Oldham progress through a victory in a penalty shootout.
Both clubs haven’t excelled in this competition. Accrington having only won one of their last seven opening cup ties in the EFL Cup. But, these were all fixtures in the first round and not in the preliminary stages.
Furthermore, Oldham have only won two of their last five outings in the Carabao Cup, proving both sides have not had the most success in the competition in recent years.
Accrington may look to fringe players such as Kelsey Mooney and Josh Woods to stake a claim. As well as this, with Oldham potentially not wanting to risk injuries to key players at such an early stage of the season, the Latics may choose to give starts to shot stopper Tom Donaghy and frontmen like Billy Walters or Oli Hammond.
Why Is There A Preliminary Round This Year
After a gap of 14 seasons, the preliminary round makes a return for the 2025-2026 Carabao Cup. This is the first time this has occurred in over ten years.
The change addresses the fixture congestion caused by the nine unprecedented Premiership clubs battling it out in Europe this year. These clubs automatically enter at round three, and the preliminary rounds helps reduce the number of clubs in earlier rounds.
The four teams who were involved in the preliminary stages were Barnet, Oldham, Accrington and Newport County. These clubs were selected due to Barnet and Oldham being the two clubs promoted to the EFL. Accrington and Newport were the lowest finishing clubs without getting relegated in League Two last season
Player Match-Ups To Look Out For
One key duel to keep an eye on will be Jack Nolan (Accrington) vs Kofi Balmer (Oldham).
The duo will go head-to-head down the left flank. Nolan is a tricky dribbler who delivers quality crosses and likes to isolate defenders one on one. He will arguably look to exploit the wider areas of the pitch and look to deliver dangerous crosses into the box.
But Balmer, who we can describe as a powerful fullback, is better defensively than going forward. He will need to stay disciplined to prevent any overloads down the flank through players such as Jack Nolan.
Accrington Stanley vs Oldham Athletic Final Conclusion
Both clubs are under pressure to navigate a physical encounter where both managers will look to win the game but will not want to risk any long-term injuries which would affect their league performance. Overall, we should expect a tight encounter with a low score line and battles all over the field.
This isn’t just any first round game. It’s a mini knockout competition. For the loser it means elimination whereas for the victor it means progression and the potential of a cup run to please their fans along the way.
Thank you for reading our Accrington Stanley vs Oldham Athletic match preview.
