Preview: Salford City vs. Burnley - prediction, team news, lineups

It is the first-ever match between the two teams, who are at opposite ends of the EFL pyramid, with the hosts plying their trade in League Two, while the visitors are in the Premier League.

Match preview

Salford have not made the best of starts to the League Two season, currently sitting in 21st place, after their opening nine games, which leaves them just one point above the relegation zone.

Across all competitions, the Ammies are now on a five-game losing streak, which does not bode well heading into a match against Premier League opposition, and they have lost four on the bounce in the league.

The losses against top-of-the-table Notts County and recently-relegated Accrington Stanley can perhaps be justified, but Neil Wood will be very unhappy his side fell to a 3-2 defeat against a struggling Harrogate Town side in their last match.

The Ammies are now without a clean sheet since the opening day of the season, having shipped a minimum of two goals in each of their last four games, so Wood will need a much-improved performance from his defence on Tuesday night.

However, the one encouraging sign for Salford heading into the upcoming EFL Cup game is that they have already proven they are capable of getting past tough opposition in the competition this season, defeating Leeds United after a penalty shootout in the second round.

That said, Burnley should still fancy their chances this Tuesday, considering they are now a Premier League side once again, although they have also struggled in the opening stages of the campaign.

In fairness to the Clarets, they have faced some very tough opposition, losing against Manchester City at home in their first match, while they have also taken on the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Manchester United.

When Vincent Kompany's side have faced teams of a similar standard, they have looked far more promising, having defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground to reach this stage of the competition, while they also drew 1-1 against the Tricky Trees in the league.

Last time out, Burnley fell to a narrow defeat at home against Man United, with Bruno Fernandes scoring the only goal in what was a closely-contested game, and so they will be looking to bounce back with a win against another Greater Manchester side on Tuesday night.

Salford City EFL Cup form:

W

W

Salford City form (all competitions):

W

L

L

L

L

L

Burnley EFL Cup form:

W

Burnley form (all competitions):

L

L

W

L

D

L

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Team News

Salford City are likely to field a very strong team on Tuesday night, given that they will need to be at their best to stand any chance of progressing to the next round, so there is unlikely to be wholesale changes.

Matt Smith is set to lead the line for the hosts, having picked up a goal and an assist in his last match, while it is also worth keeping an eye out for left-winger Conor McAleny, who scored 11 league goals in 34 games last term.

Burnley, on the other hand, are set to offer minutes to some of their fringe players, with the likes of Jacob Bruun Larsen, Jay Rodriguez and goalkeeper Arijanet Muric all in line for starts.

In terms of injury absentees, both Vitinho and Hjalmar Ekdal remained sidelined with knee problems, while Michael Obafemi is still missing due to a thigh issue.

Salford City possible starting lineup:

Cairns; Ingram, Mariappa, Tilt, John; Watt, Humbles, Watson, Mallan, McAleny; Smith

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Muric; Roberts, Al Dakhil, O'Shea, Taylor; Redmond, Brownhill, Ramsey; Gudmundsson, Larsen, Rodriguez

We say: Salford City 0-2 Burnley

Burnley defeated Nottingham Forest away from home to reach this stage of the competition, and they ply their trade three divisions higher than Salford City.

Given the fact that Salford have also been in very poor form, the Clarets should be able to pick up a fairly comfortable victory on Tuesday night.

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