3/1 To Win
Gary Rowett has made it absolutely clear Derby County should not expect an easy game when they head to Sky Bet League 2 side Grimsby Town in the First Round of the Carabao Cup this evening.
The two sides will go head-to-head at Blundell Park to battle it out for a place in the Second Round.
Derby and Grimsby met at the same stage of the competition a year ago at Pride Park Stadium, with defender Richard Keogh scoring a diving header in a 1-0 Rams victory.
Twelve months on, both sides are under new management but the objective remains the same – to be in the hat for Thursday’s Second Round draw.
Rowett, who has hinted he could be forced into some changes to his side from the 1-1 draw against Sunderland due to injury, has stressed his side must head to Cleethorpes with the right mentality, attitude and focus.
Speaking to RamsTV, Rowett said: “We’re aware that it won’t be an easy game. If you don’t work as hard as the opposition and your attitude isn’t good, you’ll lose and it’s as simple as that.
“When you look at League 2 teams nowadays, there’s quality being forced down the divisions. That comes from the European and foreign signings in the Premier League and is a follow-on from that.
“There are some good players in League 2 and we know we’ll have to be really focused. We’ll have to do a lot of things really well and defend strongly at times as I am sure they’ll put us under pressure.”
He added: “Russell Slade is an experienced manager and I am sure he will know the value of knocking a Championship club out of the cup in the second game of the season.”
As the Championship side, many would expect Derby to progress to Round Two.
Following his time in charge of Burton Albion and Birmingham City, Rowett has experienced highs and lows in the competition as a manager.
During his time at Burton, the Brewers enjoyed some memorable scalps against the likes of Sheffield United, Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers.
On the flip side, Rowett’s Birmingham were beaten 1-0 at home to League 1 Oxford United last season.
He hopes those experiences will prove to be helpful for him come kick-off tonight.
He said: “When I was at Burton we knocked a few Championship sides out the competition.
“I’ve been on both ends of it in this competition and I hope that means we can pre-empt some of the things that we’ll need to be successful on Tuesday.
“Whoever the underdog is, it’s a great competition and a wonderful evening if you can knock a big side out.
“The players have to understand the desire any League 2 side will have to make it happen. We will have to do some really good things in the game.”
