Tuesday sees a battle of two in-form League One sides as Wigan Athletic take on Wycombe Wanderers at the DW stadium in the third round of games.
Wigan were one of the pre-season favourites for promotion, but it is Wycombe who currently find themselves top of the table.
Match preview
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In the midst of serious financial concerns and a spell in administration, Wigan suffered relegation from the Championship in 2019-20 before avoiding another demotion by the skin of their teeth last season, finishing one point above the bottom four.
There is optimism ahead of this campaign, however, due to the takeover by Phoenix 2021 Ltd and a string of five wins during their pre-season friendlies this summer.
A difficult opening fixture away at Sunderland ended in disappointment as the Latics surrendered a lead to lose 2-1, but some of the optimism was justified in a dramatic victory on Saturday.
In a game where neither team took their chances for 90 minutes, former Manchester United academy prospect Will Keane rose to head home Max Power's cross in the 95th minute and hand his team a 1-0 win over Rotherham United.
That result moves Wigan into the top half - and will instill some self-belief in the players - but they now face the League One team in the strongest form of all.
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Wycombe are currently on a run of eight consecutive wins that stretches all the way back to their win against Bournemouth in the Championship on May 1 and includes an impressive 1-0 victory over Leicester City during pre-season.
Whilst their good form at the end of the last campaign could not save their Championship status - as they missed out by a single point to Wayne Rooney's Derby County on a dramatic final day - if they continue to play in this manner, they will likely be back in the second tier next year.
The Chairboys started the season with a comfortable 2-1 win against Accrington Stanley, featuring a Garath McCleary brace, and then followed that up with an even more impressive performance in the second game, away at Cheltenham Town.
Sam Vokes scored his first Wycombe goal just 14 minutes into his second appearance for the club. The Robins equalised just before the break, but two excellent strikes in the space of five minutes by 19-year-old Oliver Pendlebury secured a 3-1 triumph and propelled Wycombe to the top spot.
Wigan will present their most significant test thus far, but Gareth Ainsworth's side will likely feel that they can beat anybody right now.
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Team News
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Wigan boss Leam Richardson made three changes between the games against Sunderland and Rotherham, and considering the improved performance and result, there is a good chance Luke Robinson, Stephen Humphrys and Kell Watts will all keep their place in the starting XI.
New signings Power and Charlie Wyke have already proven themselves as two of the most important members of the squad and will surely remain in the attacking end of a 4-2-3-1 setup.
Considering their current run of success, Ainsworth will surely stick with his 5-3-2 formation, but does have a few injury headaches to contend with.
Captain Matt Bloomfield will likely miss out again after suffering a concussion during the EFL Cup game against Exeter City.
Jason McCarthy and Daryl Horgan also went off injured in that game - as Wycombe finished with nine men on the pitch - and were not yet fit enough for the bench on Saturday.
Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Amos; Darikwa, Whatmough, Watts, Robinson; Power, Naylor, Lang, Keane, Humphrys; Wyke
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Stockdale; Kaikai, Grimmer, Stewart, Jacobsen, Obita; Pendlebury, Mehmeti, Scowen; Vokes, McCleary
We say: Wigan Athletic 2-2 Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe have the momentum but Wigan will provide a sterner challenge than their first two games. It could go either way - and games between the two often have done - so we will hedge our bets and go for the draw.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Wycombe Wanderers win with a probability of 37.77%. A win for Wigan Athletic had a probability of 34.64% and a draw had a probability of 27.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Wycombe Wanderers win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.12%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.06%) and 0-2 (6.88%). The likeliest Wigan Athletic win was 1-0 (10.54%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.03%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13% likelihood.
