Match Preview | Wigan Athletic vs Notts County

Wigan Athletic welcome Notts County to the Brick Community Stadium for the first round of the Carabao Cup, aiming to make home advantage count.
Ryan Lowe’s side head into the tie with one win and one defeat from their opening league fixtures, while the Magpies are still searching for their first victory of the season after a draw and a loss. Cup football, however, can often defy league form, and both teams will see this as a chance to inject momentum into their campaigns.

Current Standings and Recent Form

Wigan 1 win & 1 defeat, County on the other hand, a draw & a defeat in their respective leagues. Leaving both sides in the mid table mark, but it’s still early days yet and each team will be wanting to find their feet.

Wigan Athletic

Wigan Athletic enjoyed a positive opening home game at home beating the visting Cobblers 3-1. However, on Saturday they lost 2-0 to Leyton Orient thanks to a Steven Sessegnon own goal and then a Josh Koroma goal. Not only that, in the 85th minute Sessegnon was shown a straight red which means he will join Will Aimson in the currently suspended players list.

Notts County

Notts County have had a tough start to the season with a 1-1 draw to Newport County and a narrow 2-1 loss to Salford City on Saturday. They will undoubtedly come into this game wanting to get a result and Wigan will need to put a performance in if they want any chance of progression.

Head-to-Head Record

Wigan Wins: 12

Draws: 10

Notts County Wins: 7

Players to Watch

Wigan Athletic:

• Tom Watson – Potentially due a start, but it’s unlikely, if he is part of the Starting XI he will be one to watch out for, particularly after his spout of performances in the 24/25 Bristol Street Motors group stage.
• Morgan Fox – Could we see him make his first Wigan appearance? I personally hope so, an experienced EFL defender who will bring plenty to the table, I say get him involved as soon as possible.
• K’Marni Miller – One of Wigan’s most exciting youth prospects, the left back is pacey and promising, and has all the tools to fight for Luke Robinson’s starting role.
• Tobias Brenan – Unsure whether he will start or not, but his starting role in the first 2 games certainly came as a surprise, and I would say that he was really impressive against Northampton, but had his fair share of struggles against Leyton Orient, but this is the perfect fixture to see him regain some confidence.
• Baba Adeeko – Baba’s pre season came to an early halt & he sadly wasn’t part of the season opener, however a recent Wigan Today article, featuring Ryan Lowe, gave some insight that he was near a return and could feature versus Leyton Orient, now this sadly wasn’t the case but knowing Ryan Lowe, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start Tuesday night.
• Dion Rankine – Rankine’s future in WN1 is unknown and after being told he wasn’t wanted in Ryan Lowe’s future plans, their have been no more transfer links to his name, and I feel Ryan Lowe may just give him some sort of involvement on Tuesday, whether that’s in the starting X1 or sat on the bench.
• Chris Sze – A man who has been fairly criticised for his footballing ability by our fan base, (we include ourselves in that) could we see Chris get his first appearance of the season on Tuesday night? He’s certainly due one, and against League Two opposition this is the perfect game for him to attempt to make an impact.
• Paul Mullin – The Hollywood star is yet to start for Wigan, and facing Notts County seems the ideal game for a first start and for him to bag a first Wigan goal.

Predicted Lineup – Wigan

Note: Will Aimson and Steven Sessegnon are currently serving suspensions. Will Aimson has 1 game left under this embargo and Sess has 3.

Score Predictions

Our human score predictions are just for fun and based on personal opinions, recent form, and match context. They are not expert advice and should never be used for things like betting or making financial decisions. For more details, please visit our disclaimer.

Curtis’ Prediction: Wigan Athletic *1-1 Notts County

 💭“Given Notts County’s slower start to the season, I believe that if we approach the game with the right attitude, we’re more than capable of knocking them out of the competition. That said, our recent record in the Carabao Cup hasn’t been great – we haven’t progressed past the first round since 2021, which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Still, we’ve got to break that run at some point, and this feels like a real opportunity to do just that if we make the most of it.”

Charlie’s Prediction: Wigan Athletic 1-0 Notts County

💭” Wigan have taken 3 points in 2 games, & Notts County only 1 point. With that in mind this could be a close game but also has potential to be a snooze fest, however, I will back Wigan to win here and progress to Round 2 and I predict Paul Mullin to bag the only goal.

* Means win on penalties

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) Predictions

Artificial Intelligence (AI) predictions use data and algorithms to forecast football match outcomes based on team form, stats, and other relevant factors. While we aim for these predictions to be as accurate as possible, they are not guaranteed and should not be relied upon to make decisions, including betting. For more information, please refer to our disclaimer.

ChatGPT: Wigan Athletic 2–1 Notts County

“Wigan’s higher-league quality and home advantage should see them through, but Notts County have enough threat to make it a competitive tie.”

Grok: Wigan Athletic 2-1 Notts County

“I predict a 2-1 victory for Wigan Athletic over Notts County in their EFL Cup match on August 12, 2025. Wigan’s stronger historical record against Notts County, combined with their home advantage, gives them a slight edge, despite both teams showing recent inconsistencies. Expect a competitive match with goals from both sides.”

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