Northampton Town take on Cardiff City on the opening day of the new season in the Carabao Cup on Saturday at 3pm. The match is being played at the PTS Academy Stadium in Northampton. 

Team News

Northampton may be without last season’s top scorer Sam Hoskins due to him having a minor hamstring problem which he picked up last time out in a friendly against Luton Town. Cobblers boss Keith Curle is awaiting results of a scan which Hoskins was sent for on Friday. 

The likes of Nicky Adams, Scott Pollock and Shaun McWilliams are all still recovering from earlier injuries but are not too far away from returning to action. 

Cardiff boss Neil Harris will be missing key duo Lee Tomlin and Joe Ralls after he confirmed neither will be fit to start the season. Tomlin is recovering from a hamstring strain while Ralls has been struggling with minor knocks since returning after lockdown. 

Predicted Line-ups

Keith Curle is expected to name a strong side ahead of tie, in his traditional 3-5-2 set up. 

Northampton Town: Jonathan Mitchell, Cian Bolger, Fraser Horsfall, Luka Racic, Joseph Mills, Ryan Watson, Christopher Missilou, Mark Marshall, Matt Warburton, Harry Smith, Ricky Korboa.

Neil Harris is expected to give minutes to those on the fringes of the squad ahead of the new season. The Bluebirds are expected to set up in a 5-4-1 formation.

Cardiff City: Alex Smithies, Jordi Osei-Tutu, Sol Bamba, Curtis Nelson, Sean Morrison, Joe Bennett, Junior Hoilett, Gavin Wyte, Marlon Pack, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Robert Glatzel. 

Form Guide

Northampton were undefeated in their previous six matches but a loss to Luton Town last time out means the Cobblers will be determined to turn their fortunes around against Cardiff with a win on Saturday.

On the other hand, their opponents Cardiff City have just one defeat in six, their last coming against Fulham in their Championship play-off semi-final first leg at the end of last season. 

Northampton Town: LDWWWW

Cardiff City: WWWWLW

Ones to watch

Cobblers latest recruit Ricky Korboa will be of interest to many Cobblers fans following impressive performances against Luton and Leyton Orient as a trialist in their recent games. The striker joined for an undisclosed fee from non-league Carshalton Athletic having scored 16 goals for the Isthmian Premier League side last season. 

Keith Curle’s new back line of  Racic, Bolger and Horsfall will face a tough test as they continue to build a bond together whilst being up against a strong Cardiff attack.

As for the Bluebirds, German forward Robert Glatzel will pose a threat from the Cobblers back line. Glatzel will be looking to get off the mark quickly at the start of the new season following last season where he scored eight goals in all competitions for the Welsh side. The German is yet to score in the Carabao Cup.

Experienced Canadian winger Junior Hoilett will look to use his knowhow against Northampton. The winger has a wealth of experience in the Premier League having scored 17 topflight goals. Hoilett will be eager to improve his League Cup record having only score twice in the competition over 17 appearances. 

Previous Meetings 

The two sides have met 52 times, the first clash dating back to August 1931 when the Cobblers won 1-0 in a Division Three encounter. 

Since then the Cobblers have beaten the Welsh side 25 times, the spoils being shared eight times and the Bluebirds winning on the other 19 occasions. 

Northampton fans will be pleased to hear that they were victorious the last time the sides met, which was in fact a 2-1 at Sixfields in the League Cup back in August 2012. 

How to watch

The match can be accessed for £10 in Northampton's iFollow service. The match is also available on Cardiff City TV for the same price. 

Managers quotes

Cobblers boss Keith Curle is looking forward to a tough test against a Cardiff side who made the play-offs last season. He told Elliot Stonhill on the Northampton website:

"It’s a great opportunity for us to go out and see where we are at.

“Saturday is a great opportunity for the players to grab the shirt for the first time in a competitive game and really stake their claim to be involved when the league season begins."

Meanwhile, Cardiff boss Neil Harris told the media he is looking forward to the tie. When speaking in his virtual press conference he said: 

"I like the cup competitions," he began. "Especially with the way it's fallen at the moment, it's a great opportunity for us to get minutes into players.

"We see it as a potentially very difficult game away at Northampton, but however tough it is going to be, it does present a chance for us.

"If you do get through to the next round, it enables you to keep players happy and give players minutes by rotating the squad. So I do see these early rounds as important."

If the match ends level after 90 minutes the tie will be decided by a penalty shootout. The winner will progress into the second round where Premier League teams who are not competing in Europe will join the competition.