West Ham United could be drawn to face Paolo Di Canio's Swindon Town in the Carling Cup first round.
The Hammers have been seeded in Thursday's draw, meaning Sam Allardyce's side will avoid playing any of the eleven other npower Championship sides in the southern half.
Instead, West Ham will face one of 18 League One and League Two clubs in the opening round, raising the possibility of a mouth-watering clash with Di Canio's Swindon, where the Italian took charge in May.
Among the other clubs who could be drawn to face the 2010/11 semi-finalists in the first round are League Two outfit Oxford United, who were beaten 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground at the second-round stage of last season's competition, and former West Ham defender Chris Powell's Charlton Athletic, who finished 13th in League One last term.
Local rivals Dagenham & Redbridge and Southend United, who will both compete in League Two in 2011/12, and Football League new boys Crawley Town or AFC Wimbledon, who face each other in a play-off due to Birmingham City's involvement in the UEFA Europa League, are also among the 18 unseeded teams.
Should West Ham be drawn against Crawley or AFC Wimbledon, the tie would be the first competitive meeting between the two sides. The same would be true if Allardyce's team are drawn to face Cheltenham Town, Dagenham & Redbridge, Stevenage or Yeovil Town.
The full list of unseeded clubs who could be drawn to take on West Ham is - Aldershot Town, Barnet, Bristol Rovers, Charlton Athletic, Cheltenham Town, Crawley Town or AFC Wimbledon, Dagenham & Redbridge, Gillingham, Hereford United, Northampton Town, Oxford United, Plymouth Argyle, Southend United, Stevenage, Swindon Town, Torquay United, Wycombe Wanderers and Yeovil Town.
The full first-round draw will be published on whufc.com and the club's official twitter feed here shortly after 10am on Thursday 16 June.
First-round ties will be played in the week commencing Monday 8 August 2011. The final will take place at Wembley on Sunday 26 February 2012.