CRISIS club Derby County entertain Salford City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday at Pride Park after both sides kicked off their seasons with a draw.
Wayne Rooney's English Championship side have had to deal with well-publicised off-the-park problems and Derby are operating under a transfer embargo and can only sign free agents and players on half-season loans, but only a limited number and within a wage limit.
He's had to operate with one hand tied behind his back and in a competition where most clubs either rotate or play a weakened squad, Rooney might have little option than to play his strongest selection.
League Two Salford were held to a draw by Leyton Orient in their first league meeting on Saturday and Gary Bowyer's side are bookies favourites to win their league after spending decent money on the likes of Matty Lund, Josh Morris and Conor McAleny.
In a competition that's been a minefield for punters, they will have to figure out how big a gap there is between the two leagues and how strong County will be.
How the bookies view it
Derby's Championship status means they are favourites at 11/10 with William Hill's. Salford City are 11/4 outsiders with betway and the draw is 5/2 with Betfred.
Recent head to heads
The sides have never met in a fixture, but intriguingly, the sides met in a pre-season friendly two weeks ago at Salford and the League Two side won 2-1.
Here's the action from the Peninsular Stadium below
Players to watch
Far-travelled Derby County striker Colin Kazim-Richards returned to British football after the former Celtic striker had a spell in Brazil with Coritiba. He netted eight goals last season which was a respectable return given Derby's struggles with relegation and he's 7/4 with bet365 to net anytime.
For the visitors, Brandon Thomas-Asante is usually a threat and scored some important goals for the Ammies last season. He's 11/4 with Paddy Power to score.
Anything else catch the eye?
Despite their off-field problems, Derby played well in their weekend draw against Huddersfield Town and Wayne Rooney's lack of options for this game may work out in favour of favourite backers.
They should be too strong for a Salford side anyway and the League Two side may be looking more at their weekend game against Sutton United instead since promotion is a priority for the club owned by Gary Neville and co..
Derby's Scotland international Graeme Shinnie loves a tackle in the middle of the park and falls foul of referees as much south of the border as he did when he was with Aberdeen. He was booked ten times last season and punters should look at what price he is when the markets are formed.
This EFL Cup match between Derby County and Salford City will be played on Aug 10, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Derby County vs Salford City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
