Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria

Preview: Rotherham United vs. Morecambe - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 6 August 2023, 09:14
Rotherham United will be aiming to bounce back from their opening day thrashing at the hands of Stoke City when they host Morecambe in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

The visitors, meanwhile, marked their return to life in League Two with a 2-1 win against Walsall.

Match preview

Having bounced between the Championship and League One for six consecutive seasons - with three relegations and three promotions apiece - Rotherham finally ended that sequence by finishing 19th in England's second tier last time out.

However, if their 4-1 defeat to Stoke on Saturday is anything to go by, Matt Taylor's side are likely to be up against it when it comes to avoiding relegation this time around.

The Millers were already trailing 3-1 at the bet365 Stadium when Cafu was sent off for a second bookable offence on his debut following a summer move from Nottingham Forest, with Jacob Brown piling on the misery for the visitors in the final minute of normal time.

Having lost at home to Morecambe in the second round of this competition last season, Taylor and his players will be determined to avoid lightning striking twice at the opening stage, as they seek to make it beyond the second round of the EFL Cup for the first time since 2009.

Morecambe, meanwhile, saw their maiden journey in England's third tier come to an end when they were relegated on the final day of League One's campaign at the end of last season.

The Shrimps have managed to hold onto Derek Adams, who helped them survive the season beforehand, and they will have some confidence of bouncing back at the first attempt after beating Walsall on Saturday.

The opening day encounter at the Globe Arena appeared to be heading for a share of the spoils after Danny Johnson had cancelled out Adam Mayor's opener, but Farrend Rawson snatched all three points in injury time.

Adams and his players will particularly believe themselves to be capable of causing an upset against their Championship opponents after doing so last season, but they will be more concerned with their league position than any potential cup run.

Rotherham United EFL Cup form:

Rotherham United form (all competitions):

D

L

L

W

W

W

Morecambe EFL Cup form:

Morecambe form (all competitions):

L

D

W

W

W

L

Team News

Rotherham will be without Cafu through suspension after the midfielder's dismissal against Stoke, with Taylor likely to be considering changing almost his entire starting XI from their defeat in the Midlands.

The former Exeter City boss will want to provide his fringe players with an opportunity to impress him ahead of a busy schedule, and his priority will be on keeping Rotherham in the Championship this season as opposed to any potential cup run.

Likewise, Morecambe will be hoping to challenge for promotion back to the third tier, meaning Adams is expected to rest several key players for their trip to Yorkshire.

Yann Songo'o, who also played under Adams at Bradford, will almost certainly drop down to the bench.

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Phillips; McCart, Hall, Blackett; Lembikisa, Wiles, Lindsay, Ferguson; Green; Eaves, Kelly

Morecambe possible starting lineup:

Smith; Senior, Bedeau, Stokes, Melbourne; Davenport, Taylor, McKiernan; Smith, Brown, Slew

We say: Rotherham United 1-0 Morecambe

With both managers likely to make wholesale changes for this cup tie, we do not expect to see a great deal of quality played out at AESSEAL New York Stadium on Tuesday.

However, the hosts will be determined to gain revenge on Morecambe after suffering defeat to them in this competition last season, and we expect them to get the job done in the form of a tight victory.

Previews by email

Top News

2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Last season's runners-up Fiorentina secured a brilliant 3-2 victory thanks to M'Bala Nzola's 91st-minute winner against Club Brugge after a fascinating first leg. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen recorded a 2-0 victory over Roma in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final in Italy on Thursday night. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chancel Mbemba cancelled out an opener from Gianluca Scamacca, as Marseille drew 1-1 with Atalanta BC in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final in France on Thursday night. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Unai Emery has made three changes to his Aston Villa XI for Thursday's Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against Olympiacos. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to address their woeful run of form at the end of this campaign, Coventry City will welcome Queens Park Rangers to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday afternoon in the Championship. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk On Saturday, Everton Ladies will welcome Tottenham Hotspur Ladies to Walton Hall Park for their final home game of the Women's Super League season. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing a point to guarantee their Championship survival, Sheffield Wednesday will head to the Stadium of Light to meet Sunderland on the final day of the season on Saturday. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have made five changes for Thursday's Premier League game at Chelsea. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has reportedly picked up a foot injury, which could rule him out of Saturday's La Liga clash against Cadiz. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have received a timely injury boost ahead of Sunday's Premier League showdown with Tottenham Hotspur, as one of their injury victims was pictured in full training on Wednesday. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly planning to offer Crystal Palace the chance to re-sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka as part of a deal which could see Michael Olise move to Old Trafford. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Three days on from their Champions League semi-final first-leg victory in midweek, Borussia Dortmund return to Westfalenstadion to welcome Augsburg for a Bundesliga clash on Saturday afternoon. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh from their Champions League semi-final bout in midweek, Bayern Munich travel to the MHPArena to face Stuttgart in a top-three clash in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Monaco will attempt to tighten their grip on second spot when they face basement side Clermont in Saturday's Ligue 1 fixture at Stade Louis-II. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has reportedly made a decision on his future at the Emirates amid reports that the Gunners could try to offload him in the upcoming transfer window. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could reportedly let three of their academy products leave the club this summer as a means of raising funds for their pursuit of Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag said that Jadon Sancho demonstrated that he is "a very good player" with his performance for Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic play host to Hearts on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that will move them a step closer to defending their Scottish Premiership title. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Still vying for a place in Europe thanks to their recent revival, Lazio visit mid-table Monza on Saturday evening. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City will be bidding to reach the 100-point mark when the already-crowned Championship winners play host to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The only team to beat champions Inter Milan in Serie A this season, Sassuolo continue their fight for survival when the two sides meet again on Saturday evening. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Leeds United square off against Southampton on Saturday afternoon know that only a win will do if they want to retain hope of automatic promotion from the Championship. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City could be without goalkeeper Ederson for Saturday's Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United duo Jonny Evans and Anthony Martial were both involved in Thursday's training session at Carrington, with the Red Devils preparing for Monday's trip to Crystal Palace. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking to remain within touching distance of Premier League leaders Arsenal, reigning champions Manchester City welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has revealed that Bruno Fernandes is a doubt for Monday's Premier League contest with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona head coach Xavi could make just the one change to his starting side for Saturday's La Liga contest with Catalan rivals Girona. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aberdeen and St Johnstone come together on Saturday afternoon at the Pittodrie Stadium with both teams looking to ensure their survival in the Scottish Premiership before the end of the season. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have seemingly been handed an injury boost regarding first-team goalkeeper Ederson. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona will be bidding to keep their La Liga title hopes alive, mathematically at least, when they head to Catalan rivals Girona for an intriguing contest on Saturday evening.