Derby County of League One will travel across the Severn Bridge to face League Two's Newport County on the Welsh coast in the FA Cup second round on Saturday.
The Rams come up against a Newport side that have a strong reputation of making the third round of the Cup - having succeeded in doing so on their last five occasions - and the Derbyshire club may well have their work cut out at Rodney Parade.
Match preview
Newport's recent history in the FA Cup has provided much invigoration for fans of the historic competition.
In the last four years alone, Rodney Parade - a ground that holds less than 8,000 fans - has played host to some of the biggest sides in English football.
Under the management of ex-County player Mike Flynn, the Exiles knocked out the likes of Leeds United, Leicester City and Middlesbrough in the Cup, as well as holding Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton to draws, all at their home on the coast.
Few lower-league clubs have been quite as successful in the Cup as Newport, and, although Flynn has since departed the Welsh club, the freshly appointed manager Graham Coughlan will be looking to reignite Rodney Parade's vibrant atmosphere on Sunday.
Coughlan's appointment came after a very disappointing string of displays from the Exiles, who by mid-October sat in 19th place after 14 games.
With the Exiles having been challenging for promotion playoff places as recently as 2021, Coughlan will be hoping to stymy the decline since Flynn's departure and get the Welsh side back on track.
Coughlan will have plenty of Newport's old guard at his disposal for the second-round tie against Derby. The likes of Matty Dolan, Mickey Demetriou, Robbie Willmott, Joe Day, Mark O'Brien and Lewis Collins are all aware of what the Cup has meant for the Exiles in recent years, and their determination and experience will be vital for a result on Sunday.
The Rams, meanwhile, will go to Newport with the confidence of a side fighting for promotion to the Championship. They sit in eighth place in League One, and have not lost a league match since mid-October's defeat to second-place Ipswich Town.
Now under the stewardship of head coach Paul Warne, Derby have been looking to put the misery of administration, points deductions and relegation from the Championship well and truly behind them.
Warne's form since his arrival has certainly steadied the ship, but a lack of goals and decisive victories for the Rams represent the hangover the Midlands club have been facing since being relegated in May.
Victory in the FA Cup this weekend will be hard to come by against a Newport County side full of weathered heads. The young Rams, so crucial to the side's recent fortunes, may be ill-prepared for the turmoil they could face at the rough conditions of Rodney Parade.
- D
- W
- D
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
Team News
Derby will be without Krystian Bielik who is on international duty at the World Cup for the Polish national team.
Tom Barkhuizen returned to training last week and the Derby forward will be expected to make his return to the first team this weekend.
Jason Knight suffered an ankle injury in the warm up game against Liverpool two weeks ago, but is expected to be back to full fitness too.
There are no reported injury concerns or suspensions for Newport County, with Coughlan expected to play a full-strength team after resting several players midweek against the MK Dons.
Newport County possible starting lineup:
Day; Drysdale, Farquharson, Demetriou; Wilmott, Moriah-Welsh, Bennett, Dolan, Lewis; Bogle, Evans
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Wildsmith; Rooney, Forsyth, Cashin; Smith, Thompson, Bird, Hourihane, Osula; McGoldrick, Barkhuizen
We say: Newport County 2-1 Derby County
Newport may not have been on the finest form this season, signalled by the change in management and their precarity at the bottom end of League Two. Derby have the better players on paper, with many of their first-teamers having been Championship players up to very recently.
However, the Exiles' history in the FA Cup could well drive the team to victory at Rodney Parade. With the help of the experienced Dolan, Willmott and Day in particular, an upset is definitely on the cards this Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
