Brady has a delicate balance to strike for Carabao Cup tie with Wimbledon

Jon Brady will seek to strike the right balance between rotating his squad but also fielding a strong enough team that can beat AFC Wimbledon in tomorrow's Carabao Cup first-round tie.

The Cobblers reached this stage of the competition by coming from behind to defeat Coventry City in round one, while Dons saw off Charlton Athletic.

Brady has the option to rotate if needed, and there are players in his squad who needs minutes, but it's a delicate balancing act as he also looks to make round three when the big boys enter the stage.

"It's a bit of both because it's a cup competition and we take it seriously - we showed that at Coventry," said Brady. "We want to get into the next round and I'm sure Wimbledon do as well and it's a game we're looking forward to.

"We've got to see who's fit but we will assess things and we won't make any snap decisions. We'll make clinical decisions and make sure we're ready for Tuesday and we will try and win that match.

"There might be opportunities for some players to get minutes but we haven't settled on the side yet. We'll have a look tomorrow night but whatever side we put out, it will be a competitive side that will try and get us through to the next round."

Brady is close friends with Wimbledon boss Mark Robinson so he knows all too well about the threat the League One visitors will pose tomorrow evening.

"Wimbledon are a really good side," Brady added. "I'm very good friends with their manager and Robbo plays a very progressive style of football.

"It will be a tough challenge because they are a strong team and we will need to be our best."