A week before the Championship's headline opening-round fixture between Burnley and West Ham, the Clarets will face League One side Notts County at the start of the EFL Cup.
Burnley
Burnley were unsurprisingly unable to stay in the Premier League, so they will once again be aiming for promotion from the Championship. They will do so under Nicky Hayen, who had previously managed only in his native Belgium. Under him, the Clarets have played six friendlies without winning any. Tough opponents? To some extent — Ajax (1:2) and Espanyol (2:2), for example — but MLS clubs are still inferior to any English top-flight team, even one that has been relegated. Burnley were even thrashed by Real Salt Lake (1:4).
Notts County
Since returning to the English Football League in the 2023/24 season, Notts County have not made it past the first round of the EFL Cup. In none of those three campaigns have they faced a Championship team — League One was the highest level. However, the Nottingham side have made progress: this May, they won the battle for the third promotion place to League One, beating Salford City 3:0 in the final at Wembley. Their toughest pre-season test, which was also a local derby, came against Nottingham Forest. There was no miracle, and the Magpies lost 0:2.
Burnley vs Notts County Prediction
Burnley spent most of the season trying to catch Forest. They failed, but still have the benefit of a decent budget and one of the strongest squads in the Championship. The Clarets' results against American clubs should concern them. They have not comfortably got through the first round of the EFL Cup for a long time and have sometimes been eliminated, so in this tie we are backing Notts County to make this a competitive tie until the final whistle.
