Queens Park Rangers have been handed a somewhat tricky Carabao Cup first round tie as they welcome Northampton Town to Loftus Road.

The cobblers finished 16th in League One last season, leading half the fans to assume the result is a formality, while the other half cynically assume it's the kind of banana skin that QPR traditionally despise.

One thing is for certain, the midlands side will certainly be well up for the challenge.

Justin Edinburgh took over at Sixfields in January, and did a good job stabilising the club as they battled relegation to League Two.

After safety was secured, Edinburgh hasn't wasted any time in making the squad his own, bringing in players such as Billy Waters, Leon Barnett, Sam Foley and George Smith.

The Cobblers will also have been boosted by the news that joint-top goalscorer John-Joe O'Toole has agreed to stay at the club.

The main man who many Loftus Road fans will remember is former Portsmouth, Bolton and West Ham midfielder Matty Taylor, who was instrumental in securing safety for the Cobblers last season, getting 8 goals and 11 assists.

The last time the two sides met in a competitve fixture, the Hoops came out victorious with a 3-2 win in the League Cup first round, as the late Ray Jones secured the winner in a tight encounter.

QPR will no doubt go into the game as comfortable favourites, and i believe that with a full-strength team the Hoops should be able to progress to the second round, but the Cobblers will certainly be a rejuvenated outfit looking to start the new League One campaign on a high.