Can We Make It To Round Three Of The Carabao Cup

The Saddlers take a break from league action tomorrow as we face Macclesfield Town for a place in the League Cup Third Round Draw for only the second time in seventeen years.

TEAM NEWS

Walsall

Given the Saddlers have played six games in such a short space of time it will be interesting to see whether Dean Keates makes changes against the lowly League 2 side. Ginnelly went off on Saturday with a slight groin injury and Ferrier went off with a slight hamstring problem so Josh Gordon could make his first start for the Saddlers. Chris Dunn might return in goal as our go to Cup goalkeeper.

Macclesfield

Macclesfield have no fresh injury worries so will probably name the same side which drew against Mansfield at the weekend.

LIKELY LINE UPS?

Walsall – Dunn, Devlin, Guthrie, Fitzwater, Leahy, Morris, Dobson, Osbourne, Ginnelly, Cook, Gordon

Macclesfield – O’Hara, Pearson , Kelleher, Grimes, Lowe, Fitzpatrick, Whittaker, Arthur, Wilson, Blissett, Smith

DANGERMEN

GEORGE DOBSON (WALSALL)

How good is St George?! Everything good about Walsall FC at the moment is epitomised through our newly made captain. Dobson sticks his body on the line trying to deny our opponents and his ability to cover so much ground is staggering. We will do well to hold onto him until the end of his contract.

KOBY ARTHUR (MACCLESFIELD)

Macclesfield strikers are struggling to find the back of the net this season so we have identified attacking midfielder Koby Arthur as their dangerman. Arthur scored two goals in their opening day defeat to Swindon.

Arthur started his career at Birmingham City before moving onto Swindon and Cheltenham.

PAST MEETINGS

The Saddlers have faced Macclesfield on just eight occasions in our history – Walsall Four, Draw Two, Macclesfield Two

The Saddlers have lost our last two home games against Macclesfield by one goal to nil – both in the FA Cup. The last time both sides met in the league the Saddlers ran out 2-0 winners.

The first time both sides met ended up with the Saddlers winning 7-0.

Our last four home games v Macclesfield

05.11.2016 – Walsall 0-1 Macclesfield

21.11.2006 – Walsall 0-1 Macclesfield

16.09.2006 – Walsall 2-0 Macclesfield

16.04.1999 – Walsall 2-0 Macclesfield

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee – Darren Drysdale

Linesmen – Matthew Parry and Richard Wigglesworth

Fourth Official – Matthew Donohue

Drysdale has officiated four games so far this season, dishing out fifteen yellow cards, one red card and awarded two penalties.

Drysdale officiated just one game involving the Saddlers last season – our 1-0 home defeat to Southend where he booked Mark Gillespie, James Wilson, Shaun Donnellan and Joe Edwards.

MATCH PREDICTION

Six games into the season and we have already correctly predicted four correct scores – we wouldn’t advise using our predictions whilst betting but we ain’t doing too badly!

I fancy us to get our first clean sheet of the season tomorrow night and get into the second round of the league cup for the first time in seventeen years.

This group of players are buzzing at the minute and I don’t envisage the good run to end tomorrow night.

VITAL PREDICTION – Walsall 2-0 Macclesfield