Tuesday night saw seven second-tier sides - among them Blackburn, Bolton and Nottingham Forest - fall at the first hurdle and Derby followed them in making an early exit after going down 2-1 to League 2 club Portsmouth last night.
But ambitious Middlesbrough, 3-1 winners at Oldham, and Preston, who beat Crewe by the same scoreline, are in the hat for tonight's draw, along with the likes of Hull, QPR and Cardiff.
Entering the competition at this stage are the 12 Barclays Premier League teams who are not competing in Europe
Aston Villa, Everton, Newcastle and company will prefer to avoid promotion hopefuls including Boro and Hull, but will similarly hope to swerve a trip to lower-league sides seeking an upset
Among the outfits keen to both spring a footballing surprise and reap the dividends of a lucrative home tie are Justin Edinburgh's Gillingham.
The former Tottenham defender told kentonline.co.uk: "We would like one of the big ones at home, financially and with the coverage you get, it is always nice but you get what you're dealt with
"It is great to be in the draw and I'm looking forward to it.
"If you get the right draw you could get the TV thinking it may be a potential upset and you get coverage, good revenue and it can help you along the way in the season."
Carlisle, Hartlepool, Barnet, Shrewsbury, Oxford, Luton, Walsall and Burton are also lying in wait for loftier opposition, while Doncaster and Leeds go head-to-head at the Keepmoat Stadium tonight for the remaining spot in the second-round draw.
Source : PA
Source: PA