West Ham United v Millwall
Carling Cup
Boleyn Ground
Tuesday 25 August 2009
7.45pm
Referee: Paul Taylor
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Introduction
• West Ham United will play their second consecutive London derby when League One outfit Millwall make the short trip north for Tuesday's Carling Cup second round tie. On Sunday, the Hammers lost out 2-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
• It will be the two sides' first meeting in the competition and only their second in a major cup competition ever. West Ham hold the bragging rights after winning an FA Cup fifth-round tie 4-1 on February 1930. For more on that match, see the Millwall matchday programme - along with exclusives with Junior Stanislas, Mauricio Taricco, Julien Faubert and much, much more.
• Both sides have struggled in the League Cup in recent years. Indeed the furthest either side have gone in the last seven years is the quarter-finals, when the Hammers were knocked out by Everton in 2007/08. Millwall will be hoping to reach the third round for the first time in four years.
• The winners of the tie will be entered into Saturday lunchtime's third-round draw, which will be televised on Sky Sports. The next round is due to be played in the week commencing Monday 21 September.
• The teams last met in the Championship on 16 April 2005.
The lineups were:
West Ham United: Walker, Repka, Ferdinand, Ward, Powell, Newton (Zamora 80), Reo-Coker, Noble, Etherington, Sheringham, Harewood Subs not used: Bywater, Fletcher, Mullins, Chadwick
Millwall: Marshall, Muscat, Phillips, Lawrence, Darren Ward, Livermore, Sweeney, Morris (Simpson 78), Elliott, Dichio, Hayles (Ifill 63)
Subs not used: Wise, May, Craig
• This is the 23rd meeting between the sides in all competitions. West Ham have won eight and drawn ten of the fixtures.
West Ham United
• West Ham United have started their Barclays Premier League season with a win and a defeat. An impressive 2-0 win on the opening day of the campaign was followed by a narrow 2-1 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
• West Ham started their League Cup campaign strongly last season, with a 4-1 win over Macclesfield Town on 27 August. Carlton Cole and Zavon Hines, on his debut, were among the scorers.
• The Hammers were then knocked out in the next round when they lost 1-0 at Watford on 23 September in what was Gianfranco Zola's second game in charge. A Hayden Mullins own goal won the game for the hosts that night.
• Three players, Mark Noble, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole have got on the scoresheet for the Hammers so far this season. Cole was last season's top scorer with 12 goals in all competitions.
• West Ham United - in 1966 and 1981 to West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool respectively - have twice reached the League Cup final but have never triumphed.
• Gianfranco Zola said: "This is a competition that gives teams the chance to play a final at Wembley and also provides an opportunity to qualify for European football. We are going to be up for it and also because it is a special fixture for both clubs. Hopefully above everything else it will be a good game of football that finishes in our favour."
• After tonight's cup tie, two away trips in the league follow with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 29 August and Wigan Athletic on 12 September.
• The Hammers finished last season in ninth in the Barclays Premier League with 51 points, a place and two points higher than they managed in the previous season. They were level on points with eight-placed Tottenham.
• Carlton Cole was West Ham's leading scorer last season with ten Premier League goals, one in the FA Cup and one in the League Cup.
• Robert Green topped the appearance charts for the last campaign, playing every minute of every Premier League game. He has played 90 consecutive top-flight matches and last missed a first-team fixture at this stage of the League Cup last season.
• James Collins celebrated his 26th birthday on Sunday.
Last time out
West Ham United
Barclays Premier League, Sunday 23 August
West Ham United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Green, Faubert, Upson, Collins, Spector, Parker (Hines 85), Noble, Collison (Nouble 89, Stanislas, Jimenez (Kovac 78), Cole
Subs unused: Kurucz, Gabbidon, Tomkins, Payne
Goal: Cole 49
Millwall
• Millwall were comprehensive winners in the first round of this year's competition. The Lions defeated Bournemouth 4-0 at the New Den on the 11 August. Striker Neil Harris had a particularly fruitful night, getting three of the goals.
• Millwall have started their League One season with three draws and a win. After drawing with Southampton and Carlisle United, the Lions beat Oldham Athletic 2-0 before a goalless draw with Southend United on Friday night. In the four games, they have conceded just one goal. They are eighth in the table.
• Millwall's dreams of Wembley will be fuelled by last season's League One play-off final when they lost 3-2 to Scunthorpe United at the famous stadium.
• Kenny Jackett said: "It's a massive game and one we are looking forward to. We've earned it, it's fantastic to go and play a Premier League team and if we get things right and play above our level then you never know."
• Millwall's best League Cup performance is reaching the last eight, which they have done on three previous occasions. The first two quarter-final dates came in the 1970s - namely 1973/74 and 1976/77 - before they got to the same stage in 1994/95.
• Millwall's last victory against a Premier League club came when they beat Everton on 4 October 1995 - also in the League Cup second round.
Last time out
Coca-Cola Championship, 21 August 2009
Southend 0-0 Millwall
Millwall: Forde, Smith, Frampton, Craig, Friend, Bolder, Fuseini, Laird (Hackett 58), Price (Harris 46), Alexander, Martin
Subs not used: Grimes, Barron, Sullivan, Dunne
Referee
• Tuesday's referee will be Paul Taylor. The 50-year-old took charge of the Ipswich-Preston match on the opening day of the new Championship season, having previously officiated in UEFA Champions League qualifying and FIFA international fixtures.
Head to head
• West Ham United have not won in the last six competitive meetings between the clubs, all of which have come in the Championship.
• The Hammers' last victory came on 24 February 1991 with a 3-1 win at home in the old Second Division. Frank McAvennie scored twice.
• Millwall forward Gary Alexander came through the Hammers Academy under the guidance of Tony Carr. He left in 2000 having not played a first team game and joined Millwall in 2007.
• Irish goalkeeper David Forde spent two years at West Ham between 2002 and 2004 but never featured in the first team. He moved to Millwall a year ago and became an automatic first choice.
• Among the players who have represented both clubs are: Harry Cripps, Lawrie Leslie, Jim Standen, Brian Dear, Paul Allen, Paul Goddard, Tony Cottee, Teddy Sheringham, Neil Ruddock and Lucas Neill, while Billy Bonds and Pat Holland have both formed part of the Lions' management in recent years.
Last six meetings
16 April 2005 - West Ham United 1-1 Millwall
21 November 2004 - Millwall 1-0 West Ham United
21 March 2004 - Millwall 4-1 West Ham United
28 September 2003 - West Ham United 1-1 Millwall
28 March 1993 - West Ham United 2-2 Millwall
15 November 1992 - Millwall 2-1 West Ham United
Overall record v Millwall (all competitions) W 8 D 10 L 5
Team news
• Gianfranco Zola will be without Herita Ilunga because of a fractured jaw. The left-back was initially thought to have escaped relatively unhurt from a clash of heads at Wolves but subsequent examination by club doctors and further tests revealed the extent of his problem. He is doubtful for Saturday's trip to Blackburn Rovers.
• Zola has several choices to replace him including Jonathan Spector who filled in against Tottenham. The 18-year-old Fabio Daprela, a Swiss Under-19 international, is also standing by while Danny Gabbidon could also get his first competitive club appearance for 18 months by moving over from his usual centre-back berth.
• Frank Nouble made his home debut on Sunday and is pushing for a start in attack alongside Zavon Hines, who scored at this stage of the competition last season.
• James Tomkins, like Gabbidon, is also eager to dislodge either Matthew Upson or James Collins in the centre of defence.
• A trio of other Academy products who have performed well in pre-season could be in the frame led by Josh Payne who made two appearances in 2008/09 as well as Oliver Lee and Anthony Edgar who both joined the first-team training camp in Austria.
• Long-term absentees Luis Boa Morte (knee) and Dean Ashton (ankle) will miss out.
• Switzerland midfielder Behrami is back in training at Chadwell Heath after the cruciate knee ligament injury he suffered against Manchester City on 1 March. It is hoped he will join in fully with the first team later this week.
• Dixon is also progressing well and has started full training with the reserves.
• Nadjim Abdou and Steve Morison are both sidelined for the Lions. Abdou has missed the last three matches with a hip problem while forward Morison, the Lions' £130,000 summer recruit from Stevenage, has a hamstring strain.
• Also missing are Zak Whitbread (hip), Paul Robinson (metatarsal), Pat O'Connor (cruciate) and Danny Senda (achilles).
• Chris Hackett is a doubt because of a recent groin injury although he did make an appearance as a substitute in the draw at Southend last Friday.
Travel information
• For directions for the Boleyn Ground, click here
General information
• For ticket news, click here.
• Tuesday night's weather forecast is for a mild night with temperatures reaching 17C.