Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s EFL Trophy clash between Accrington Stanley and Leeds United Under-21s, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Accrington Stanley welcome Leeds United Under-21s to the Wham Stadium this Tuesday night for their final outing of the EFL Trophy this season.
Both teams are already out of the competition after losing their opening two group games, meaning pride and bragging rights are the only things at stake.
Match preview
Sitting just one point above the relegation zone in League Two, Accrington Stanley have bigger fish to fry this season than the EFL Trophy.
John Doolan and his men have only managed three wins from their opening 15 league matches, while their defensive issues in recent times have seen them keep just one clean sheet from 10 games across all competitions.
In spite of that, the Reds have seen a slight upswing in form, picking up a couple of wins and a couple of draws from their last five outings – this includes a thrilling 3-3 stalemate away at Chesterfield last weekend.
In terms of their EFL Trophy campaign, Accrington kicked things off with a penalty shootout defeat against Fleetwood Town at the start of September.
A month later, Stanley lost 2-0 at home to Port Vale, which effectively eliminated them from the competition – leaving Tuesday’s games as the final parting gift.
For Leeds United U21s, this has also been a campaign full of ongoing ups and downs, with the team struggling to find some sort of consistency.
When it comes to the EFL Trophy, Leeds have miserably failed in mounting any kind of challenge after confirming their elimination with two massive defeats.
The first of these losses was a 4-1 loss at Port Vale, which was followed up a month later by a 4-0 thumping away at Fleetwood Town – a couple of woeful results for Scott Gardner and his men.
Leeds will now be looking to use this final fixture as a way of rebuilding some confidence, having only managed one win in their last six games across all competitions.
Accrington Stanley EFL Trophy form:
Accrington Stanley form (all competitions):
Leeds United U21s EFL Trophy form:
Leeds United U21s form (all competitions):
Team News
Accrington’s Tyler Walton has made a serious impact since returning from an ankle injury, producing three goal contributions across his last two outings – including two goals against Chesterfield last weekend.
Forward Charlie Caton is also in great form, scoring four goals across his last seven matches – including goals in his last two outings for the club.
Ollie Wright saved a crucial stoppage time penalty against Chesterfield to secure a point, and as Michael Kelly is suspended, expect the former to replace him for Tuesday’s cup clash.
Kelly is banned on account of picking up two yellow cards in his opening two EFL Trophy games, while Benn Ward is also suspended following his red card in the Port Vale defeat.
With nothing to play for, Leeds will likely use this game in order to give some of their prospects additional game time and experience.
Striker Harry Gray offers the biggest attacking threat, having scored five goals this season – including one over the weekend.
Accrington Stanley possible starting lineup:
Wright; Smith, Rawson, Matthews; Heath, Coyle, Grant, Love; Sinclair, Whalley, Caton
Leeds United Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Ombang; Pickles, Chadwick-Chaplin, Douglas, McDonald; Vincent, Cresswell; Dudley, Brockie, Firth; Gray
We say: Accrington Stanley 1-1 Leeds United Under-21s
There is no reason for either of these teams to go all out in this one and risk any unnecessary injuries.
Bearing that in mind, we are backing a steady 1-1 draw, with both teams to end their EFL Trophy campaigns with a point.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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