Newport County will look to upset the odds when they host Southampton in Round Two of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

The League Two side beat League One outfit Ipswich Town 1-0 in the first round thanks to a Timmy Abraham goal at Portman Road.

Michael Flynn's Exiles narrowly missed out on promotion to League One last season, losing 1-0 after extra-time against Morecambe in the play-off final.

They have made a solid start to the new campaign as they sit ninth with two wins and one defeat.

All three of those matches were played away due to extensive development at Rodney Parade, with the Saints set to be the first visitors this season.

Southampton opened their Premier League campaign with a 3-1 defeat away to Everton before drawing 1-1 at home to Manchester United on Sunday.

The Saints faced Man United in the final of this competition in 2017 and lost 3-2 at Wembley Stadium.

They lost by the same scoreline in the 1979 final against Nottingham Forest, meaning themselves and Newport dream of lifting the trophy for the first time.

  • Team news

Exiles manager Flynn will be absent again after testing positive for Covid-19 last week. 

His assistant Wayne Hatswell could be boosted by the return of captain Matty Dolan, but Mickey Demetriou will remain sidelined.

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is likely to make wholesale changes. 

Stuart Armstrong missed the United game with a calf injury and is doubtful, while Will Smallbone and Sam McQueen (both ACL) are long-term absentees.

  • Predicted lineups

Newport County

Townsend; Norman, Clarke, Farquharson, Haynes; Missilou, Bennett; Abraham, Azaz, Ellison; Greenidge.

Southampton

Forster; Valery, Stephens, Bednarek; Walker-Peters; Elyounoussi, Ward-Prowse, Diallo, Redmond; Long, Tella. 

  • Ones to watch

Timmy Abraham - Newport

Abraham, the younger brother of Roma striker Tammy, is on loan at Newport from Championship side Fulham. The forward's goal against the Tractor Boys was the first of his senior career, and he'll be hoping to add to his tally.

Mohamed Elyounoussi - Southampton

Elyounoussi joined the Saints from Basel in 2018 for a reported £16 million. Still searching for his first Southampton goal, the Moroccan-born Norwegian international spent the last two seasons on loan at Celtic, scoring 24 and assisting 14 in 67 appearances. Hasenhuttl has stated that the winger will feature more for the club this season.

  • Previous meetings

The last time these sides met was in the FA Cup third round in 1968. After a 1-1 draw at home, the Saints won the replay 3-2. 

Wednesday will be the fourth League Cup meeting between them. The previous three came in the competition's inaugural campaign in 1960-61, with Southampton winning 5-3 in a first-round second replay after successive 2-2 draws.

  • How to watch

There is no way to watch the game live other than being at Rodney Parade. Kick-off is at 19:45 BST.