Nathan Trott’s Cardiff City will host Swindon Town in the opening round of the Carabao Cup for the second straight year in their first outing of the season at Cardiff City Stadium today.

Sky Bet Championship side Bluebirds prevailed 2-1 on that occasion to advance to the second round of the competition and will be hoping lightning strikes twice when they come up against their League Two opponents again.

Goalkeeper Trott and his team-mates enjoyed a good run in the competition last season, reaching the quarter-finals where they lost 3-1 at home to Premier League outfit Chelsea.

Nahki Wells’ Luton Town are also in action in the Carabao Cup today away to League Two side Gillingham at Priestfield Stadium.

Wells and his Hatters team-mates were eliminated in the first round of the competition last season after losing 1-0 to Championship side Coventry City, who went on to gain promotion back to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years.

The experienced striker and former Bermuda captain earned a runners-up medal in the Carabao Cup with then League Two side Bradford City after losing to Premier League opponents Swansea City 5-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium in 2013.

Cardiff will host Wrexham in their 2026-27 league opener August 17 while League One side Luton are away to Reading.

Trott and his team-mates made a swift return to the Championship after finishing runners-up to Lincoln City to clinch the remaining automatic promotion spot.

The Bluebirds sealed automatic promotion with three games to spare, with Bermudian goalkeeper and Player of the Season nominee Trott holding his own between the posts.

The 27-year-old kept 16 clean sheets, including a club-record five in his first five league appearances, and conceded 46 goals in as many appearances in all competitions.

Trott joined Cardiff on a season-long loan from Danish Superliga champions FC Copenhagen last summer after agreeing to a deal which gave the Welsh club an option to sign him permanently should they achieve promotion back to the Championship.

The Bluebirds took up that option at the end of the campaign with former West Ham academy player Trott agreeing to the terms of an undisclosed three-year deal, which will run until the summer of 2029.

Wells, who scored ten goals in all competitions last season, is entering the final year of a two-year deal with Luton, who were unable to secure automatic promotion to the Championship despite a late surge under coach Jack Wilshere.

Wilshere’s side had to win away to Bolton Wanderers and hope other results went their way if they were to squeeze into the play-offs heading into the final game of the season.

But despite holding their end of the bargain with a thrilling 3-2 win, victories for Stockport County, Stevenage Borough and Wells’s former club, Bradford City, prevented Luton from leapfrogging any of the trio into the top six.

However, it was not all doom and gloom for Luton as they lifted the EFL Trophy, with Wells scoring twice in a 3-1 win against Stockport in the final at Wembley Stadium to earn man-of-the-match accolades.