Does David Moyes rotate his Everton side for the trip to Preston North End in the Carabao Cup, or go as strong as possible?
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Everton are preparing to face Preston North End on Wednesday evening as their Carabao Cup campaign gets underway.
It’s an opportunity for the Toffees to continue their momentum from their 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday, potentially beginning a much-needed cup run.
David Moyes could make a few changes for the game, considering Premier League action returns just a few days later.
The likes of Tyler Dibling and Jake O'Brien were unused substitutes against Crystal Palace and need game time, whereas Charly Alcaraz, Brennan Johnson, James Garner, and Beto all came off the bench.
It certainly wouldn't be a surprise if the aforementioned players were given a chance from the start as Moyes looks to rotate his side.
The opposition
It's been a difficult start to the season for Preston North End as they sit in 20th position in the Championship table, losing both of their league games.
The North West side managed to scrape through the first round of the Carabao Cup, beating Huddersfield on penalties. Their poor start to the season is no surprise, considering their pre-season performances, which saw them lose their final four friendlies in a row.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side were dealt a crucial blow earlier this week when star striker Milutin Osmajic completed a move to Serie A side Girona. Preston also lost midfielder Ben Whiteman to Wrexham, but they have strengthened in the summer transfer window.
Interestingly, Preston's first Carabao Cup game was played at Goodison Park due to repairs ongoing at Deepdale, but they will be returning to their home stadium for this game.
Predicted XI
After recent comments in the media from manager Moyes, it wouldn't be a surprise if he names a strong team. The Everton boss was discussing the importance of a cup run, mentioning staying in the Premier League as if it was a priority over the cups.
The comments certainly didn't go down well, adding further pressure on the manager, which might tempt him into naming a strong side.
Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Armstrong; Dibling, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Barry.
Moyes is likely to want to give minutes to some of his senior players who didn't start against Palace. Michael Keane, O'Brien, Garner and Dibling could come into the starting eleven.
That would still leave a fairly strong side with some key players remaining.
Things I’d like to see
Of course, advancing into the next round of the cup is the only important thing when it comes to the game against Preston.
Alongside that, there are some things I'd like to see from the game.
Firstly, minutes for Dibling would be hugely beneficial and deserved for the young winger. The former Southampton man enjoyed an impressive end to pre-season, but he was then an unused substitute against Palace.
Moyes opted to bring on Johnson ahead of him at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, which is perhaps not a huge surprise given his connections to Crystal Palace.
Secondly, it will be good to see Jarrad Branthwaite given a break. Everton still need to manage his minutes as he returns from a long-term injury, and he looked battered and bruised during the game against Palace.
There were times throughout the game where it looked like he wasn't going to be able to continue, so there's little point in risking him against Preston this week. Of course, Branthwaite is crucial to how we play, but we should still have enough in defence to get over the line without him.
Finally, it would be good to see Everton get a comfortable lead heading into the final stages of the game, giving Moyes the opportunity to throw some youngsters in. The likes of Braiden Graham were heavily involved in Everton’s pre-season, so it could be another opportunity for him to impress.
If Moyes is going to take it seriously in terms of team selection, there might not be an opportunity to utilise youngsters on the bench, but even just one or two being given a chance would be nice to see.