Tonight Championship side Rotherham United host fourth-tier Morecambe in the first round of the EFL Cup. In this article we will be looking at what to expect from this cup tie at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.
The Millers began their league campaign when they hosted Walter Zenga’s Wolves on Saturday. Thanks to goals from Danny Ward and Will Vaulks, Rotherham took a 2-0 lead early on.
An early lead gave implications that new manager Alan Stubbs would like his players to be attacking straight from kick off and that his style of football suited his players.
However, in the 39th minute Wolves midfielder George Saville tapped the ball home after easily evading Rotherham’s backline. Confusion between defenders Richard Wood and Stephen Kelly meant that Saville could easily run into the gap between them, leaving him one on one with Lee Camp. It was the Rotherham goalkeeper Camp that probably had the hardest task out of all the backline, so he has some excuses to justify why Saville dribbled past him.
Saville struck the ball into what appeared as an empty net – but, as the ball neared the goal, Millers left back Joe Mattock came running in. If he had slid towards the ball it would have been likely that he would prevent the goal and kept the 2-0 lead. Despite his efforts, the ball rolled past him into the back of the net.
This therefore asks questions about Rotherham’s defence which is considered to be one of the weaker parts of the team. Stubbs’ midfield, however, seems to be the best midfield for years which also has depth if players want to be rested for the Morecambe fixture.
Saturday saw Morecambe travel to newly-promoted Grimsby Town to start their league campaign.
It didn’t take long for Grimsby to take the lead – Kayden Jackson, on loan from Barnsley, pounced on a loose ball after some poor defending from Morecambe.
But it wasn’t the defence that appeared to be the worst part of their game; the backline held their own and dealt with Grimsby attacks relatively well, with two goal-line clearances. Morecambe’s midfield wasn’t impressive – they were constantly caught in possession, allowing Grimsby to attack which caused more problems for the defenders.
The Morecambe forwards made good runs throughout the game but ultimately struggled to put the ball into the net past James McKeown. Grimsby went on to win 2-0.
Summary
From the opening day it can be deduced that Rotherham United head into the game on a more positive level than Morecambe. Additionally, the Millers are two divisions above the Shrimps, which means that Alan Stubbs’ team have expectation on them to win this evening.
My prediction: Rotherham United 3-0 Morecambe
