A place in the Carabao Cup fourth round is on the line for both Wolves and Everton this Wednesday evening as the sides go head-to-head at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Roll call
With the first Black Country derby at Molineux coming up on Sunday – and having made eight changes for the last round of the cup – Cesar Peixoto might be tempted to rotate his squad for the midweek match. Rafiki Said and Yerson Mosquera are the only two players out of action, and with players such as Ghislain Konan, Bertrand Traore and Joao Virginia yet to make their Wolves debuts after summer moves, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde also back in training after a pre-season injury, Wednesday could see members of the squad given a run out to get their fitness levels up for the Championship. But after winning on Sunday, Peixoto could also stick with his strongest side to build momentum ahead of the derby this weekend.
David Moyes has 16 outfield players to choose from in his senior squad for the visit of Wolves on Wednesday evening, with Christian Norgaard and Merlin Rohl both out injured, which might see a few youngsters get an opportunity. Teenage duo Braiden Graham and Malik Olayiwola both travelled with the squad to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, and both will hope to be part of the cup squad. Doubts also persist over Jordan Pickford’s fitness, with Mark Travers and former Old Gold stopper Tom King both named among the substitutes at the weekend, with Travers likely to be the man to deputise if the England number one is unavailable.
The form guide
Wolves retuned to winning ways in the Championship on Sunday, but only just, as Raul Jimenez’s last-minute winner secured the three points away at Sheffield United. After an unbeaten August, Peixoto’s side had a stuttering start to September, suffering a 4-2 loss to league leaders West Ham United – their first of the season – and a 2-2 draw away at local rivals Birmingham City. But Wolves have been untroubled in the cup so far this year, putting three without reply past League Two Port Vale in round one, before securing their place in the third round with a 2-0 away win at Sheffield Wednesday.
Everton go into Wednesday’s cup tie unbeaten so far this season, having opened their campaign with successive wins over Crystal Palace (2-0) in the Premier League before putting four past Preston North End to book their place in the third round. However, since their cup visit to Deepdale, the Toffees have drawn all three of their league games – with three differing scorelines; 1-1 away at Bournemouth, 2-2 at home to Manchester United and 0-0 away at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The past with Everton
Wolves and Everton have twice faced off in the League Cup, the first came during the 1991/92 season as a then-top flight Toffees beat second division Wolves 4-1 at Goodison Park. Peter Beagrie (2), Tony Cottee and Peter Beardsley scored for the hosts while Wolves’ goal came from the familiar boot of Steve Bull. However, the sides also went head-to-head at the same stage of last season’s Carabao Cup, and it was the hosts again who claimed victory with Marshall Munetsi and Tolu Arokodare getting the goals in a 2-0 win for Vitor Pereira’s team. The Old Gold would then go on to play Chelsea at Molineux in the fourth round, the visitors ended up progressing.
After the match, Pereira said: “It was nice to see the players with confidence, playing good football, good pressure, controlling the game, character, team spirit. It means that, for me, we can do this because they have quality. A good result can change everything. It can change the spirit of the team, change the atmosphere. I’ve missed it a lot, the smiles of my players and the supporters, and today I think we have reasons to smile.”
Wolves | Johnstone, H Bueno, Doherty, Krejci, S Bueno, Bellegarde, Munetsi (J Gomes 81), Andre (Agbadou 87), Hwang (R Gomes 68), Arias (Toti 81), Strand Larsen (Arokodare 68).
