West Ham travel to Newport County on Tuesday as they open their Carabao Cup campaign against opponents who play their regular football in League Two.
The Hammers have made a decent start to the Premier League season, earning four points from three games and securing their first win of the campaign on Saturday against Watford.
Newport, meanwhile, will be aiming to spring a major surprise, having climbed to fifth place in the formative League Two standings.
| Game | Newport County vs West Ham |
| Date | Tuesday, August 27 |
| Time | 7:45pm BST / 2:45pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!
In the United States (US), the game will not be broadcast on television but is available to stream via ESPN+.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | ESPN+ |
In the UK, the match will be shown on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event, and available to stream on Sky Go Extra.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Football / Sky Sports Main Event | Sky Go Extra |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Newport squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | King, Townsend |
| Defenders | Inniss, O'Brien, Bennett, Howkins, Stojsavljevic, Ekpiteta, Haynes, Nurse, Leadbitter, McNamara |
| Midfielders | Dolan, Maloney, Labadie, Sheehan, Willmott, Collins |
| Forwards | Marsh-Brown, Whitely, Amond, Matt, Abrahams |
Newport starting XI: Townsend, Haynes, Howkins, O'Brien, McNamara, Willmott, Dolan, Sheehan, Amond, Whitely, Abrahams
| Position | West Ham squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Fabianski, Roberto, Martin |
| Defenders | Reid, Cresswell, Balbuena, Zabaleta, Cardoso, Ogbonna, Diop, Fredericks, Masuaku, Johnson |
| Midfielders | Lanzini, Snodgrass, Sanchez, Noble, Fornals, Wilshire, Antonio, Rice |
| Forwards | Yarmolenko, Anderson, Hernandez, Haller, Ajeti, Xande Silva |
Confirmed West Ham starting XI: Roberto; Zabaleta, Balbuena, Diop, Cresswell; Sanchez, Wilshere; Fornals, Snodgrass, Antonio; Ajeti
Betting & Match Odds
West Ham are strong 3/10 favourites to win this fixture in normal time with bet365. Newport aat distant 17/2 outsiders while a draw is on offer at 9/2.
Match Preview
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The Premier League clubs will make their Carabao Cup 2019-20 bow on Tuesday as they enter in the second round, with West Ham’s trip to south Wales to face Newport County arguably the most eye-catching tie.
The Hammers are without major silverware since the 1980 FA Cup and while their priority will be securing top-flight football for another year, their fans would love an extended run in one of the domestic cups. Nevertheless, Manuel Pellegrini is set to extend the opportunity to his fringe players to impress in this competition, having seen his side pick up their first league win of the season at Watford on Saturday.
New signing Sebastien Haller impressed with a smart double, but he is likely to be among those to make way for the trip to Rodney Parade, where the hosts have built a strong reputation as giant killers in recent years.
“It is very worrying, this game,” Pellegrini said, having seen his side exit the competition last season at the hands of a Wimbledon side bottom of League One.
“We need to put Watford behind us and focus on the cup game. We know this is a team that eliminated Leicester and drew with Tottenham.
“We got experience of this last season with Wimbledon. So we must put all of our minds into continuing in the Carabao Cup.”
Newport’s focus is also on the league, but rather than fear the midweek game, it is one to relish.
“It's a nice distraction and it's a free hit,” manager Michael Flynn said. “I've said it before the League Cup is not a priority for me.
“It's nice to be out there in the public eye, it's massive for the football club and it's going to be a really difficult game.”
A 1-0 win over Crewe on Saturday in sweltering conditions pushed Newport fifth in League Two, while they have already dispatched Gillingham on penalties in this competition.
