Rochdale returned to the EFL after a three-year absence in dramatic fashion with a win on penalties over Boreham Wood at Wembley. They had finished second in the National League with a staggering 106 points in a titanic title race with York. Next fixture: vs York (away, 2027-02-27). Bradford City manager Graham Alexander has vowed to put out a winning team for the Carabao Cup tie against Rochdale. The City boss was asked if he was considering shuffling the team to spread the match minutes around, but he was unequivocal in his reaction. "No, we're playing to win," he said. "That's it. We want to be in the next round of the cup so we're putting out a team that we expect to give our best performance and win the game." Alexander added that he has to showcase what the team is about and lead where they're going. "The game's about winning now," he said. "We're going into the game to win it as we were this time last season. It's not about managing minutes now." Graham Alexander also praised Rochdale, saying that they are a good team and that he knows a couple of their players. One of his old players at Salford, Mani Dieseruvwe, plays up front for them. "He was a great guy for us and played a big part in our promotion into the Football League at Salford and he's done it again with Rochdale," Alexander said.