EFL Cup: What's in store for Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United, Barnsley, Huddersfield Town and Doncaster Rovers

Traditionally, it is a competition round where David can topple Goliath with the big guns still in ‘transitional mode’. Witness the opening round last season when nine second-tier clubs across the country were toppled.

It is something for the Championship contingent of Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United, Barnsley and Huddersfield Town to be particularly wary of as they tackle lower-division sides.

Pre-match observations:

1: Beware the former manager

After a painful 3-0 opening-day loss at QPR, which was an unwelcome rewind to some wretched first days of the recent past, Leeds United have been handed a seaside trip to face Fleetwood - managed by, yes, ex-Whites head coach Uwe Rosler.

The German will no doubt afford himself a bit of ‘schadenfraude’ - pleasure derived from someone’s misfortune - if the Cod Army haul in Leeds on Wednesday.

Leeds can ill-afford being exposed on the Fylde coast. The chants of ‘what the ******* hell was that?’ from the away end at Loftus Road were unflattering and damning and, as public relations exercises go, the competitive start of Garry Monk’s reign could not have gone any worse. A reaction is a must.

2: Ch-ch-ch-changes. Expect plenty

In a congested August, second-tier clubs could play seven games if they progress in the EFL Cup, with several managers likely to be pragmatic in their selections tonight.

With their squads not exactly the largest in the division, Rotherham and Barnsley’s changes are likely to be in the region of three to five.

As for the Owls, given that Carlos Carvalhal changed his entire starting line-up aside from Tom Lees from his side’s opening game of the 2015-16 season for the home tie with Notts County, do not be surprised to see something similar tonight when Wednesday take the field at Cambridge, their second game in just over 48 hours.

3: A big night for Chris Wilder

It may only be the EFL Cup, with Bramall Lane unlikely to be packed to the rafters. But Chris Wilder, a boyhood Blade to boot, will probably afford himself a lump in his throat when he leads out his club for the first time in a competitive fixture at S2 against Crewe tonight.

Equally, he will be intent on the Blades starting as they mean to go on, on home soil. He has spoken about the Blades needing to be aggressive and assertive - in the right way - in their home forays in 2016-17 and to give the fervently passionate Unitedites something to feed off.

4: Another cup odyssey for Barnsley, anyone?

Given what he achieved in winning the JP Trophy with the Reds last term, the values of success in a cup competition will never be under-estimated by Paul Heckingbottom.

As a Barnsley fan, he will also be mindful of the club’s modest record, particularly on home soil in recent years, a this stage of the competition with the likes of Crewe, Morecambe and Rochdale all triumphing at Oakwell.

Success away from home in round one last season earned Barnsley a plum home tie with Everton which will be remembered in the years to come; that’s as good an incentive as any as the Reds seek to reach the second round.

5: Doncaster address the home front

With just two wins from 12 home games this calendar year, home-sickness has blighted Darren Ferguson’s Rovers.

A cup shock against Forest tonight would start the recuperation process, the first instalment of a triple-header with Rovers facing bread-and-butter league games against Cambridge and Crawley, games in which the club and Ferguson will ultimately be judged.