Blackpool boss Simon Grayson will not be taking the Carabao Cup lightly ahead of Macclesfield Town’s visit

The Seasiders welcome League Two side Macclesfield Town to Bloomfield Road tonight, looking to secure a third straight win this season and a place in the second round.

That’s the stage at which Premier League clubs enter, except those involved in Europe.

Pool made it all the way to the fourth round last season, when they were handed a glamour trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal, and it’s that sort of occasion manager Grayson wants his side involved in again.

The Pool boss said: “We’ve got to treat this competition importantly because it’s a pathway to the next round if we do what we’re capable of doing.

“And then who knows what you can do? We want to win matches every time, and from the club’s perspective if you get through to the next round you could get one of the big hitters. That’s a financial boost to everybody.

“I’d take three or four smaller teams and grind some results out to get that winning mentality carrying on throughout the season.

“If we get three or four rounds in and then we get a Premier League club, then it will be perfect because you’ll have that winning mentality as well as the financial aspect of it as well.

“But all we have to do is focus on the Macclesfield game and make sure we try to win that first.

“They had a good win at the weekend (3-0 against Leyton Orient), so we will treat them with a huge amount of respect, which they deserve.

“But hopefully we can win and the draw (which takes place tonight) will take care of itself after that.”

Blackpool now have the benefit of a wealthy owner in Simon Sadler but Grayson says the club can’t afford to turn its nose up at a cup run.

“If you get one of the big teams it can generate anything from £500,000 to £1m for the club,” he added.

“No matter how wealthy your owner is, if that sum is coming into the kitty that certainly helps in so many aspects.

“Not just in terms of transfers and my playing budget, but also things that can be done to the training ground, the stadium, new staff etc.

“We won’t be generating that sort of money with this game, so it’s about doing the football side of things.

“There are going to be upsets in this first round because that’s just the nature of the cup competition.

“I will stress to my players that we don’t want to be one of them, so we will make sure we’re professional with our approach.”