Carabao Cup Preview | Cardiff City vs. Bristol Rovers
Cardiff City begin the Carabao Cup campaign by hosting Bristol Rovers on Tuesday, August 13th.
The fixture will take place at Cardiff City Stadium, with a kick-off time of 7.45pm.
Opposition focus | In the dugout
Bristol Rovers' current manager is Matt Taylor, who has been in the role since December 2023.
During his playing career, the defender played most of his games for Exeter City, as well as Charlton Athletic and Cheltenham Town.
Switching to management in 2018, Taylor returned to his former club Exeter, leading the club to promotion to League One in the 2021/2022 season.
The achievement earned him a move to Rotherham United, who he managed from October 2022 to November 2023.
Since taking over at the Memorial Stadium, he has won 12 of his 33 games in charge, a win percentage of 36.36%.
OPPOSITION FOCUS | OPENING DAY
The first league game of the 2024/25 season ended in dramatic fashion for Bristol Rovers.
Hosting Northampton Town at the Memorial Stadium, the contest looked as though it was set to end goalless.
That was until the 92nd minute, when debutant Bryant Bilongo netted a late winner.
Rovers' victory was the first time they have won on the opening day for 13 years.
CARABAO CUP | LAST SEASON
The 2023/24 Carabao Cup campaign saw the Bluebirds reach the third round, whilst giving invaluable experience to Academy products.
In the first round, City claimed a 3-0 win on penalties against Colchester United, after the match ended 2-2 at CCS.
Cian Ashford and Joel Colwill both came on as second half substitutes in that game, making their First Team debuts.
The following round saw the Bluebirds play some brilliant passing football in a 3-1 win at Birmingham City.
There was a further debut in the third round defeat to Blackburn Rovers, as U21 left-back Josh Beecher impressed in the second half.
CITY FLASHBACK | TONY EVANS MAKES HIS MARK
Fittingly, the Bluebirds hosted the Gas in the League Cup exactly 48 years ago this week.
On August 14th, 1976, the first leg was held at Ninian Park, with two brilliant strikers going head-to-head.
Rovers’ talisman at the time was Bruce Bannister, who opened the scoring from the penalty spot after ten minutes.
The Bluebirds had a quality striker of our own, with Tony Evans making his mark on the tie, equalising after an hour. With Adrian Alston finding the net from the spot, City headed into the second leg with a 2-1 lead.
What unfolded three days later was another tale of two strikers battling it out. Despite Rovers holding a 4-2 lead on the night, Evans’ four goals for City sent Jimmy Andrews’ side through to the next round, with a 6-5 win on aggregate.