Chesterfield face Manchester City Under-21s at the SMH Group Stadium on Tuesday night in the EFL Trophy. The match is the Spireites' second in Group North 4 of the competition.
Paul Cook's side head into the fixture on the back of a 2-1 away win at Oldham in League Two last weekend. That result lifted them to 12th in the table with eight points from six games. Lee Bonis, who has 13 goals in 47 appearances this season, opened the scoring at Boundary Park before Dilan Markanday netted the winner.
Team news and selection
Cook is expected to rotate his squad for the Trophy tie, giving minutes to players who have seen less action recently. The manager has a full squad to choose from with no new injury concerns reported following the Oldham victory. The starting lineup from that match featured Ryan Boot in goal, with a back four of Ryan Hutton, Kyle McFadzean, Jamie Simpson and Laurence Gordon.
George McEachran and Ryan Stirk anchored the midfield, supporting an attacking trio of Dilan Markanday, Josh Koroma and Liam Marsh behind striker Lee Bonis. Several of those players could be rested, with the likes of Andrew Pond, Joe Randall and Tom Whelan pushing for starts.
Trophy context
This is Chesterfield's second group game in this season's EFL Trophy. The format sees them compete against other League One, League Two and invited Premier League academy sides. Progression to the knockout stages depends on finishing in the top two of the four-team group.
Facing a Premier League academy side presents a specific challenge, with Manchester City's youngsters known for their technical quality and possession-based style. Cook will want his team to impose their own game on the visitors.
The full squad available to the manager is listed on the squad page.
Kick-off at the SMH Group Stadium is scheduled for 7pm BST on Tuesday, 15 September.
