EFL Trophy action returns for the first time this season as Ipswich Town host Northampton Town at Portman Road on Tuesday evening.
Ipswich have made a strong start to their league campaign as they sit in second place in League One and are still unbeaten following Saturday's 2-2 draw with Barnsley.
The Blues have failed to get beyond the last 16 in three previous appearances in this competition and were eliminated by Arsenal U23s on penalties last season.
Northampton have had a steady start to their campaign in League Two after being cruelly denied promotion last season, sitting in sixth place after the opening six games.
Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers was the club's first of the league season after winning three of their opening four games.
The Cobblers have largely been unsuccessful in the EFL Trophy, with the club's best run coming in 1997 and 2004 when they reached the quarter-finals.
They were knocked out in the group stages of last season's competition.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna is under no illusions that the main focus for his side this season lies elsewhere in trying to get promoted to the Championship.
"It's obviously a different competition," he said. "Our overriding priority is the league and that has to be really clear in all of our decisions."
But the former Manchester United assistant, who will be taking charge of an EFL Trophy match for the first time, is keen to ensure his players respect his principles for the supporters in attendance.
He added: "It's really important that we maintain our standards. The players don't accept anything less than 100 per cent in training so I certainly won't accept anything less than that on Tuesday night.
"The players know it's a competitive game with a paying public but those are the demands that we place on them every day at Playford Road in front of nobody."
Northampton manager Jon Brady is taking a similar approach to the game and highlighted the use of utilising his squad.
"We will go to Ipswich and try and be the best version of ourselves that we can be," he said.
"We want to win the game, as usual, but we need to try and give the ones who are coming back minutes on the pitch."
It is clear where the priorities of both managers lie.
Team news
Ipswich Town
Summer signings Dominic Ball and Richard Keogh are both set to make their Ipswich debuts, McKenna confirmed.
"Dominic and Richard should be available for a debut, so it will be good to see them get some competitive action as well as other players in the group," he said.
Ball has missed the start of the campaign through an ankle injury sustained in pre-season but was an unused substitute for Saturday's draw with Barnsley, while veteran defender Keogh has been absent since his move from Blackpool earlier this month.
Keogh will make his first Blues appearance at the age of 36, nearly 20 years after he left the club's academy as a teenager.
McKenna will make wholesale changes elsewhere for the Cobblers' visit and explained how he plans to use this competition to rotate his squad.
He said: "Primarily for me, the group stages will be about minutes for the squad and an opportunity to look at different players and possibly different set-ups as well throughout the three games.
"We will use these games for different reasons."
Northampton Town
The Cobblers will also make wholesale changes for this game but Brady, like his opposite number, stressed his side will still look to go out and get a result.
He said: "We will make changes, there are some players who need minutes and we will look at that but we will also be trying to win the game.
"Hopefully I will be able to start some of the players who have come back from injury and give them 45-60 minutes and that will be really important."
Brady continued to highlight the importance of getting games in for some of his squad who have been struggling of late with injury concerns.
He also suggested Josh Eppiah could make his first appearance since rejoining the club on loan from Leicester City.
The Australian added: "Akin Odimayo came on at the weekend and will certainly get minutes, Jack Sowerby will hopefully get minutes and Josh Eppiah will be blooded in and get some minutes at some stage.
"It would have been great to have him come on at the weekend but we will have that in the future."
Brady also said that defender Tyler Magloire has been playing through a back problem.
Likely lineups
Ipswich Town (3-4-2-1): Hladky; Burgess, Keogh, Vincent-Young; Leigh, Ball, Humphreys, Edwards; Jackson, Aluko (c); John-Jules.
Northampton Town (4-1-4-1): Maxted; Haynes, Odimayo, Dyche, Lintott; Fox; Koiki, Cross, Sowerby, Bowie; Hylton (c).
Key players
Cameron Humphreys
Young midfielder Cameron Humphreys is almost certain to be involved this midweek having been on the fringes of the first team for the last year.
The 18-year-old is one of Ipswich's most exciting academy products and has featured five times for the Tractor Boys, though has never played in the EFL Trophy.
Despite defeat to Colchester United in the Carabao Cup earlier this month, Humphreys impressed in what was his second senior start for the club.
Akin Odimayo
Defender Odimayo was substituted on for his Northampton debut in the weekend defeat to Doncaster.
The 22-year-old is expected to come in for his first start for the Cobblers having been brought in this summer from Swindon Town.
The Londoner played 76 games in his two-year spell at the Robins.
Form guide
Ipswich's only defeat this season came at home to League Two opposition in the Carabao Cup earlier this month, while their unbeaten league start remains intact.
The Tractor Boys have won just two of their last 10 matches inside 90 minutes in this competition, both of those against Gillingham.
Northampton are without a clean sheet in 12 competitive matches across this season and last, but have only failed to score twice in that period.
The Cobblers have lost just one of their last seven away matches.
Head-to-head
The two sides have only faced each other four times this century and twice this decade, both of which were league matches two years ago.
Northampton are unbeaten in the last three meetings, the most recent of which being a 3-0 victory in April 2021.
Match details
Where is the game being played?
Portman Road will play host to this clash, the home of Ipswich Town since 1884.
What time is kick-off?
The match will kick off at 19:45 BST on Tuesday, August 30.
How can I watch?
The match will be available to watch globally via an iFollow match pass, which can be purchased from either club.
Highlights will be available on social media the following day.