Cheltenham vs Exeter City: Preview, Team News, Lineups, Where to Watch in EFL Cup tie

Cheltenham Town and Exeter City are set to face off in the first round of the 2025/2026 EFL Cup at The Completely-Suzuki Stadium on August 13, 2025, with kickoff scheduled for 21:45 East African Time.

This local derby promises to be an intriguing contest as both teams look to progress in England's secondary cup competition.

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The match comes early in the season, giving both sides an opportunity to build momentum and confidence as they navigate their respective league campaigns.

The EFL Cup first round is already underway with several matches completed on August 12, producing some notable results including Doncaster's stunning 4:0 victory over Middlesbrough and Grimsby's 3:1 win against Shrewsbury.

Both Cheltenham and Exeter will be eager to join the winners' circle and secure passage to the second round.

The tournament represents a valuable opportunity for lower-league sides to make a mark in a national competition, with the potential for lucrative fixtures against Premier League opposition in later rounds.

Cheltenham are expected to be without teenage forward Taine Anderson, who missed the weekend’s defeat to Chesterfield through injury. New signing George Harmon made his first appearance for the club as a substitute, while young Lithuanian defender Jakubas Mazionis was handed his first start.

Wrexham loanee Jake Bickerstaff, however, is still awaiting his full debut. Exeter also have several injury concerns. Pedro Borges remains sidelined with a knee problem, while Andrew Oluwabori is out with a hip injury.

Ryan Rydel, Patrick Sweeney, and Johnly Yfeko have likewise been unavailable in recent weeks. On a brighter note, Jake Doyle-Hayes made his debut in the weekend victory over Blackpool.

Cheltenham Town have struggled in their recent outings, winning just one of their last five matches. They suffered a disappointing 0:2 defeat to Chesterfield in their League Two opener on August 9, 2025, and lost 1:0 to Cambridge United the previous week. Their pre-season form was mixed, with a creditable 0:0 draw against Bristol City (on 25.07.2025) and an encouraging 2:1 victory over Swansea (on 23.07.2025), before concluding last season with a 3:0 loss to Bromley.

Meanwhile, Exeter City have shown better form, winning three of their last five matches. They started their League One campaign impressively with a 4:1 victory over Blackpool (on 09.08.2025), though they did suffer a 1:0 defeat to Doncaster in their previous league fixture.

Their pre-season included a 1:0 win against Swansea (on 26.07.2025), following a 3:0 loss to Mansfield and a 3:1 win over Huddersfield Town at the end of last season.

The head-to-head record between these teams makes for fascinating reading, with their most recent encounter seeing Exeter City secure a 2:1 victory at The Completely-Suzuki Stadium on April 1, 2024, in a League One fixture.

Ben Williams scored for Cheltenham, while Luke Harris and Reece Cole (from the penalty spot) netted for Exeter. Their previous five meetings have been evenly contested, with Exeter winning twice and Cheltenham claiming victory on three occasions.

Perhaps most notably, these teams met in the first round of the EFL Cup back in August 2022, when Exeter demolished Cheltenham 7:0 at The Completely-Suzuki Stadium, with Sam Nombe scoring twice in a remarkable display of attacking football.

If you can’t make it to the Jonny-Rocks Stadium on Wednesday, the match will be available to watch live on Sky Sports+.

Possible line-ups

Cheltenham:

Day; Wilson, Harmon, Mazionis; Jude-Boyd, Tustin, Young, Thomas, Archer; Miller, Bickerstaff

Exeter City

Whitworth; Turns, Fitzwater, Swinkels; Niskanen, Cole, Doyle-Hayes, McMillan; Aitchison, Wareham, Brierley