Carling Cup preview

Keane heads back to Forest; Ince faces Mariners

By Rob Parrish   Last updated: 27th August 2008

Roy Keane Paul Ince Nottingham Forest Manchester United

Keane and Ince in their playing days

INDIVIDUAL MATCH STATS AND PREVIEWS
Huddersfield v Sheffield United
Nottingham Forest v Sunderland
West Ham v Macclesfield
Blackburn v Grimsby
Fulham v Leicester

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Teams

  • Blackburn Rovers
  • Fulham

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Roy Keane returns to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night as he looks to guide Sunderland into the third round of the Carling Cup, live on Sky Sports 2.

Keane remains a firm City Ground favourite after making over 100 appearances in midfield for the Midlands outfit before moving on to Manchester United.

The raw aggression which typified the Irishman's on-field displays during his playing career may have been curbed, but the will-to-win remains as evident.

Home boss Colin Calderwood has called on fans to wear green at the City Ground as a tribute to the late Brian Clough, who was a prolific scorer for Sunderland before his legendary managerial career with Forest.

Blackburn manager Paul Ince's latest managerial test pits him against a Grimsby side who he boasts a flawless record against.

The former Macclesfield and MK Dons boss has come up against the Mariners on four previous occasions, and has won each one.

And given the increased resources now at Ince's disposal, it would be a major shock if the 2002 League Cup winners did not progress to the third round.

Impressive

Fulham endured a dismal season in the domestic cups last term, being knocked out at the third round stage of both the Carling Cup and FA Cup.

Roy Hodgson will be demanding much more from his team this term, and they go into their home meeting with Leicester on the back of Saturday's impressive 1-0 victory over Arsenal at Craven Cottage.

The Foxes have happy recent memories of the League Cup, having lifted the trophy in 1997 and 2000 under Martin O'Neill, while also reaching the final in 1999.

But they will be regarded as underdogs for the second round fixture having slipped into the third tier of English football for the first time in their history.

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley has found his position brought under scrutiny at Upton Park, despite the new season being only two games old.

Anything less than a resounding home victory against League Two minnows Macclesfield will increase the pressure on Curbishley's shoulders.

Macc only just escaped relegation last season, and have started this term with three straight league defeats without scoring a single goal, but they enjoyed an impressive 2-0 home win over Blackpool in the first round.

The evening's final fixture sees a Yorkshire derby at the Galpharm Stadium as League One Huddersfield play host to Championship side Sheffield United.