Derby County to host Lincoln City in Carabao Cup first round at Pride Park

Derby County will open their new season by hosting Lincoln City in the first round of the Carabao Cup at Pride Park on 8 August 2026. The cup tie is the Rams' first competitive fixture of the campaign, pitting the Championship side against League One opposition on home turf. The fixture carries a local edge. Lincoln City are one of five clubs — alongside Boston United, Gainsborough Trinity, Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United — bound up in the Lincolnshire derby rivalry, and a trip across to face higher-league neighbours gives the tie extra spice for both sets of supporters. Derby, meanwhile, include English winger Joe Ward among their squad for the new season. Preparations have not been entirely smooth for head coach John Eustace. According to reports, two Derby players will be unavailable for the match, while Eustace was awaiting news on a striker's fitness. DerbyshireLive also reported that the club confirmed its squad numbers ahead of the fixture, with one notable number left unassigned. Lincoln City, for their part, are said to have named their starting eleven.

Derby open their season with a Carabao Cup tie at Pride Park

Derby County will begin their 2026-27 campaign with a home cup tie, welcoming Lincoln City to Pride Park on 8 August 2026 in the first round of the Carabao Cup. The fixture doubles as the Rams' opening match of the new season, giving head coach John Eustace's side competitive action from the very first weekend.

The draw pits the Championship club against Lincolnshire opposition in a competition that offers an early route to silverware and, for lower-league visitors, the chance of an upset against second-tier hosts. For Derby, it is an immediate test of their summer preparations, with Pride Park staging the club's first competitive fixture of the term.

Lincoln City travel across the Midlands as one of five clubs involved in the Lincolnshire derby rivalry, alongside Boston United, Gainsborough Trinity, Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United. The Imps will arrive looking to disrupt Derby's season before it has properly begun.

Team news: Eustace waits on a striker as two Rams miss out

Preparations for the tie have been complicated by selection concerns on both sides, according to reports in the build-up to the match.

Derby County will be without two players for the visit of Lincoln City, reports suggest, though the club has not publicly identified them. Head coach John Eustace was also awaiting news on the fitness of a striker in the days before the fixture, leaving open the possibility of further disruption to his attacking options. The identity of the forward in question has not been disclosed.

There was at least some clarity off the pitch. According to reports, Derby confirmed their squad numbers for the new season ahead of the Lincoln game, with one notable number left unassigned. Which shirt remains free has not been revealed, fuelling speculation among supporters about whether it is being held back for a potential new arrival before the transfer window closes.

Lincoln City, meanwhile, have reportedly named their starting eleven for the trip to Pride Park. The full line-up has not been made widely available, but the announcement suggests the League One side have settled on their approach for the cup tie.

Joe Ward, the English winger on Derby's books, is among the options Eustace could turn to as he finalises his side for the season opener.

Championship Rams meet Lincolnshire rivals

Derby County go into the tie as an EFL Championship club, a division above many of the sides entering the Carabao Cup in the first round. Their squad includes Joe Ward, an English winger on the books at Pride Park.

Lincoln City arrive from Lincolnshire, where the club sits at the heart of a five-way local rivalry. The Imps contest the Lincolnshire derby alongside Boston United, Gainsborough Trinity, Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United, a network of county fixtures that shapes their season.

That rivalry is background here rather than a stated factor in the tie itself. Derby and Lincoln do not share that particular derby history, and nothing in the build-up has framed the cup meeting through it. Instead, the match pits a Championship side against lower-league opposition in the traditional early-season cup format.

Predictions and what comes next

A betting preview of the tie has tipped Derby County to win on home soil, according to sportsmole.co.uk, though the specific odds offered were not disclosed. The Championship side would be expected to start as favourites against lower-league opposition, but cup first rounds have a habit of punishing complacency.

For both clubs, the fixture doubles as a competitive curtain-raiser, offering an early measure of pre-season work. Progress would hand Derby momentum and a place in the second-round draw, while Lincoln arrive with little to lose and the chance to open their campaign by unsettling higher-ranked hosts.

Frequently asked questions