Preview: Leyton Orient vs Wycombe Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

Leyton Orient welcome Wycombe Wanderers to the Brisbane Road for an all-League One clash in the first round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday evening.

Both sides are looking to spark their seasons into life after contrasting starts, with Orient buoyed by their first league win last time out, while Wycombe remain winless in competitive action since April.

Match preview

Richie Wellens’s side returned to winning ways most straightforwardly, as a 2-0 home victory over Wigan Athletic, sealed by Steven Sessegnon’s own goal and red card, delivered the O’s their first three points of the League One season after a bruising 3-0 opening-day defeat at Huddersfield Town.

And while the visitors were shorthanded for much of the contest, Orient’s ability to make their advantage count offered welcome encouragement after a summer in which defensive frailties were repeatedly exposed.

Indeed, pre-season exposed the East London side’s defensive fragility, as they conceded in six of seven friendlies and managed just one clean sheet despite winning four. That looseness at the back spilled into the start of the campaign, with three goals conceded on the opening weekend, though they responded emphatically by sweeping aside Wigan 2-0.

Even so, Wellens will be keenly aware that progression in this competition has rarely been straightforward for the O’s; last term’s third-round exit to Brentford represented their best run in years, with previous seasons often ending in the first or second round.

Goals have been something of a mixed bag so far; after a prolific summer that produced 21 strikes in seven friendlies, the league campaign has begun more cautiously, with just two in their opening two matches.

The task now is to combine the defensive solidity shown at the weekend with a sharper, more consistent threat in the final third. In theory, the cup offers the perfect stage for Wellens to experiment, though the competitive nature of an all-League One clash may demand a more pragmatic approach.

Wycombe, meanwhile, arrive in East London with their own concerns. Mike Dodds has presided over a difficult start to the campaign, losing 2-1 at newly-promoted Bradford City on the opening weekend before succumbing to the same scoreline at home to Stockport County.

The Chairboys have yet to register a point in League One, extending a barren run that stretches back to mid-April, when they last tasted victory against Bolton Wanderers. Since then, a seven-game winless streak in all competitions has left confidence brittle.

Wycombe’s struggles have been consistent across the past three seasons, starting slowly and finding themselves playing catch-up before autumn. This time, they have also struggled to find the net with regularity, while defensive lapses have proved costly.

Against Stockport, Dodds’s men conceded inside the opening 10 minutes, then saw their arrears doubled shortly after half time - a missed penalty from Alex Lowry compounded their frustrations, and although Jamie Mullins halved the deficit with 16 minutes remaining, the comeback never truly looked on.

The Buckinghamshire-based club’s recent history in the EFL Cup offers little cause for optimism, with last season’s third-round defeat to Aston Villa the furthest they have gone in recent times.

However, pre-season hints at a degree of latent potential; competitive draws with Tottenham Hotspur and another League One rival suggested that Wycombe can frustrate higher-quality opponents when organised. If they can find a measure of control in midfield and supply the likes of Richard Kone and Armando Junior Quitirna, they may yet trouble a defence that has shown its share of frailty.

Another subplot to this fixture lies in the short turnaround between league games and cup duties - both managers face the delicate balancing act of rotating enough to keep squads fresh without disrupting cohesion.

Wellens may be tempted to give minutes to recent arrivals and younger squad members, while Dodds will be under pressure to get a result, even at the cost of fielding a near full-strength side. For both, victory would represent a welcome injection of momentum in an already taxing early-season schedule.

Leyton Orient form (all competitions):

L W

Wycombe Wanderers form (all competitions):

L L

Team News

Leyton Orient attacker Sonny Perkins lasted just 45 minutes against Huddersfield on the opening day before being substituted, and he did not feature in the second match, either in the starting XI or among the substitutes. His absence was not injury-related, though, and he is expected to play some part in midweek.

New signing Lemar Gordon, a 19-year-old forward from Fulham, is in line for a debut, while fellow teenager Jack Moorhouse, on loan from Manchester United, could make his first start in midfield.

Demetri Mitchell remains sidelined following knee surgery, but Alfie Lloyd, on loan from Queens Park Rangers, is also available to make his debut.

Wycombe emerged from their opening-day defeat without fresh injury concerns, but star forward Richard Kone was omitted amid transfer interest from multiple clubs.

Dodds brought him back into the fold as a substitute at the weekend, and he should play a role here if still at the club.

Daniel Udoh is expected to lead the line once again, supported by Mullins and Quitirna. Otherwise, the 39-year-old tactician is likely to keep changes minimal as he searches for his first win of the season.

Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:

Simkins; James, Edmonds-Green, Happe, Adaramola; Bakinson, Moorhouse, White; O'Neill, Connolly, Koroma

Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Van Sas; Harvie, Allen, Taylor, Casey; Mullins, Leahy; Onyedinma, Abbott, Quitirna; Udoh

We say: Leyton Orient 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers

Neither side has set the early pace in League One, but Orient’s morale-boosting win at the weekend, combined with home advantage, should give them the edge.

Wycombe’s ongoing search for a first competitive win since April will continue if their defence fails to tighten up, and while they carry attacking threats, Orient’s slightly greater fluency in the final third may prove decisive in a tight contest.

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