• Competition: England - EFL Trophy
• Date: Tuesday, 3rd, September 2024
• Kickoff: 19:45 UK / 20.45 CEST
• Venue: The Wham Stadium (Accrington)

The battle in Group A of the Northern section will commence at the Crown Ground on Tuesday, where Accrington Stanley takes on Stockport County to open their EFL Trophy campaign.

Accrington Stanley vs Stockport County Betting Tips: STOCKPORT TO WIN

The poor results from their preseason, where they lost six of seven friendlies, have unfortunately carried over into the start of the 2024-25 competitive campaign, as Accrington continues to search for their first win after five completed matches (D2 L3).

That dreadful start to the season included an early exit from the EFL Cup after being thrashed 0-3 by League Two side Tranmere in mid-August, but Doolan's squad will soon get a chance to exact revenge as they are drawn in the same group in the EFL Trophy.

Although advancing through the group stage of this tournament has become routine in recent years, having achieved it in seven straight editions, doubts arise about whether the 'Own Reds will start the EFL Trophy on a positive note, given they lost both league matches against Stockport last term with a combined score of 3-7.

On their part, Stockport have made a fiery start to the league season, collecting 10 of the possible 12 points from their opening four games to swiftly ascend to the summit of the table and signal their serious intent for back-to-back promotions following their League Two title win last season.

Except for enduring a six-goal catastrophe against Blackburn in the EFL Cup earlier this season, Dave Challinor's side has appeared very disciplined at the back, having been breached only once and keeping three opponents off the scoresheet in their first four league outings.

At this point, the Blue Army inspires more confidence across the field compared to Accrington, who are in disarray, so we expect Challinor’s squad to inflict further pain on their League Two counterparts from last season. Considering the early strides in their own campaign along with Accrington conceding 3+ goals in four of their first five matches, Stockport should be able to sail to a comfortable victory here.