Mansfield Town vs Derby County: Carabao Cup Preview, Round One, 2022

Derby County will look to avoid an upset on Tuesday night when they travel to Mansfield Town in Round One of the Carabao Cup.

The Rams opened their League One campaign with a 1-0 win at home to Oxford United before losing by the same scoreline at Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Stags lost their League Two opener 2-0 at Salford City but bounced back with a 1-0 home victory against Tranmere Rovers.

Nigel Clough's side exited at this stage of the competition last season, losing 3-0 at home to Championship outfit Preston North End.

Derby lost 2-1 at Sheffield United in the second round after beating Salford City on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw in normal time.

Team news

Mansfield Town

Former Rams boss Clough has said he will play his strongest possible team on Tuesday. However, he could be forced into changes after some players sustained knocks against Tranmere.

Oliver Hawkins returned from suspension but went off with a tight hamstring, while Rhys Oates (ankle) and Hiram Boateng (ankle and hamstring) are also doubts.

Mansfield played a 3-5-2 formation in their opening two league fixtures, but Clough has stated they could revert to a back four.

He said: “There’s a possibility with the players we have available to change it round a bit.

“We’ve only been playing it [3-5-2] for four to six weeks so everything is up for grabs.

“It will depend on positions, personnel available and things like that.”

Derby

The tie provides interim Derby manager Liam Rosenior with an opportunity to make changes to his side.

Louie Sibley came off the bench in both of the Rams' league games and is expected to start, along with Everton loanee Lewis Dobbin.

Striker David McGoldrick has returned to training but is unlikely to feature, while defender James Chester (Achilles) remains sidelined.

Likely lineups

Mansfield

Pym; Hewitt, O'Toole, Harbottle, McLaughlin; Lapslie, Maris, Quinn; Akins, Swan, Bowery.

Derby

Loach; Oduroh, Stearman, Cashin, Forsyth; Knight, Smith, Thompson; Mendez-Laing, Dobbin, Sibley.

Key players

Jordan Bowery

Nottingham-born Bowery represented Derby as a schoolboy before moving to Chesterfield's academy in 2007. He made his first-team debut at 17 and went to score 10 goals in 83 appearances for the Spireites.

The forward moved to Aston Villa for around £500,000 in 2012 and gained Premier League experience, featuring 19 times over two seasons.

Bowery has yet to score for the Stags this campaign but netted nine goals and provided six assists last season as they reached the League Two play-off final. However, Mansfield lost 3-0 against Port Vale at Wembley Stadium.

The 31-year-old won League Two while at Chesterfield and will be hoping to help Clough's men achieve the same.

But first, he will have the Rams in his sights.

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Louie Sibley

Sibley has been with Derby since the Under 8s and is now a valuable member of the first-team squad.

He made his professional debut on 13 August 2019 in a 1-0 Carabao Cup win at Scunthorpe United. Two weeks later, he made his first senior start as the Rams lost 3-0 away to arch-rivals Nottingham Forest in the second round.

The 20-year-old midfielder suffered another 3-0 away defeat when he made his league debut as a substitute against Reading.

But on his second Championship start, Sibley scored a hat-trick to help Derby beat Millwall 3-2 at The Den.

He impressed off the bench against Oxford on opening day and assisted Conor Hourihane's winner.

Another good performance could earn him a start against Barnsley on Saturday.

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