MANAGER Ralph Hasenhuttl doesn’t expect an easy contest when they travel to League Two Newport County on Wednesday and insists “it is definitely not a Sunday afternoon walk.”
Saints have been drawn away to the South Wales side in the second round of the 2021-22 EFL Cup, after the Rodney Parade-based outfit beat higher-division Ipswich Town in their first cup clash of the campaign.
The Exiles have developed a reputation as giant killers and reached at least the third round of the prestigious FA Cup in each of the last four seasons – not to mention the League Two playoff final in two of the last three.
In the 2020-21 EFL Cup, they defeated Championship sides Swansea and Watford before drawing 1-1 and narrowly losing on penalties to Premier League Newcastle.
Two seasons prior, the Exiles had reached the FA Cup last 16 after knocking out Leicester City and Middlesbrough, then hosting Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and unsurprisingly coming unstuck.
Hasenhuttl has revealed what he expects to face, saying: “Tough game. We go there, we will need to be really lively and organised.
“And yes, it is definitely not a Sunday afternoon walk, we have to go there for everything.
“Stuart (Armstrong) was a little bit injured (for the Manchester United match), he had a little bit of problems with his calf so he was not available for the last game.
“But definitely there will be on Wednesday rotation, and giving players a chance to play for those who haven’t.”
The fixture will be Newport County’s first home match of the season, having played four so far on the road.
They’ve visited Oldham, the aforementioned Ipswich, Mansfield Town and Tranmere Rovers – picking up three 1-0 wins on the way but losing 2-1 to Mansfield.
The Exiles have had a new pitch laid at Rodney Parade, and this will be the first time it is available for use with the welcoming of a Premier League outfit to test it out.
Hasenhuttl added: “Yeah they have a new one I think.
“But anyway you have to play on the same pitch they also play on, and we always have to adapt our game to what is needed.”
The two sides will go head-to-head for a place in the third round of the competition, which opens up to a national tournament after the first two rounds are drawn on a regionalised basis.
Saints will need to be ready to avoid being the next team exiled from a cup at the hands of the South Wales outfit, kicking off at 7:45pm.
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