This Tuesday, August 8, 2017 (11:45 AM Pacific) Grimsby Town will host Derby County at Blundell Park for a match in the first round of the EFL Cup. There is a gap between the quality of the teams but the setting and other factors may make for an interesting affair.
Grimsby Town finished 14th in League Two last season but is coming off a dominant 3-1 win against recently relegated Chesterfield in the opening game of the 17-18 League Two season.
The new leadership of Russell Slade may be what the team needed for success in the fourth tier of English football. The home-field advantage could also play a role in the distinct grounds of Blundell Park which seats just under 10 thousand people.
The game should be a challenging task for Russell Slade and Grimsby Town but should make for an intriguing duel in this opening round of the EFL Cup.
Derby County had a solid 16-17 season in the Championship, finishing ninth but will look to give more of a fight for promotion this season.
The Rams had a decent start to the new season under new boss Gary Rowett, with a 1-1 draw against recently relegated side Sunderland. The offseason signings of players like Tom Huddlestone, Curtis Davies and David Nugent make the team more rigid and add depth to the squad as well. The Championship side should be able to win this game with a much stronger team but it should still prove to be a hard-fought clash at Blundell Park.
