Chris Cohen says there is a real sense of excitement around the group as City prepare to kick off the 2026/27 campaign with a trip to Derby County in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Saturday.
The Imps travel to Pride Park to face a Rams side who finished eighth in last season's Sky Bet Championship, with the fixture providing a valuable test ahead of next weekend's league opener against Middlesbrough.
Cohen believes the squad have shown their application in a productive pre-season programme and is looking forward to seeing the players put their hard work into practice.
He said: “I’m incredibly excited. There’s nothing like the first game of the season. The boys are ready physically, which is a testament to the backroom staff who do a great job.
“The real stuff starts on Saturday with a competitive game against a big club who did well last year in the division we’re going into. We can’t wait for it.”
Despite the challenge awaiting City, Cohen sees the fixture as the ideal opportunity to measure the team's progress against high-quality opposition before Championship football gets under way.
He continued: “They finished eighth last season and missed out on the play-offs, but they were in contention throughout the whole year, so we’re coming up against one of the best teams from the Championship last season.
“We’re going to stress the game model against a really good team but, like every game, we will try to win the football match.”
