Forest Green welcome Portsmouth tonight, Tuesday, in the first round of the EFL Cup, 7.45pm.
After a 2-0 defeat in their first game of the League Two season against Salford City, Rovers will be hoping to build some momentum ahead of the first away trip to Harrogate on the weekend.
The EFL Cup is a domestic tournament competed for by the 92 teams in the English Football League’s top four divisions, with Premier League teams given a bye to the second or third round.
Rovers and Portsmouth will meet in the Southern Section of the draw at 7:45pm, with Round Two fixtures expected to take place in the week commencing 28th August. The final will be held at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 25th February, with Manchester United last year’s winners after a 2-0 defeat of Newcastle United.
Portsmouth began their League One campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Bristol Rovers on Saturday, courtesy of Kusini Yengi’s stoppage time equaliser after the former Gloucester City and Cheltenham midfielder Luke Thomas had put Rovers in front on debut.
Forest Green and Portsmouth met twice in
League One last term, with the Hampshire side winning both by a goal to nil.
There may be a full debut for striker Matty Taylor, who scored 54 goals in four years for Oxford United before his switch to Rovers this summer. Taylor came off the bench against Salford, with Matty Stevens favoured in the centre of the attack.
Forest Green also confirmed the signing of Bristol born Jacob Maddox on Monday evening but it is unlikely he will be ready to join the match day squad tomorrow. Maddox is a product of Chelsea’s academy and earnt 11 caps at England youth level before loan spells at Cheltenham Town and Southampton under 23s, where he worked alongside new Rovers boss David Horseman. He was most recently at Walsall, where he made 28 appearances before being released this summer.
Due to this being a midweek fixture, the park and ride service that the club provides will not be running.