Harry Howell of Brighton & Hove Albion makes his first competitive start against Oxford Unitedplaceholder image
Harry Howell of Brighton & Hove Albion makes his first competitive start against Oxford United
All the latest team news for Brighton and Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup
The Seagulls are hoping for a moral boosting cup win at Championship outfit Oxford after their painful 2-0 loss at Everton last Sunday.
The changes started from the back as Jason Steele came in for Premier League goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Experienced defender Joel Veltman was in for his first competitive start of the season at right back and there are debuts for summer signings Diego Coppola and Olivier Bocagli at centre back.
Igor Julio, who is widely tipped to leave this transfer window and hasn't featured in pre-season or in the Premier League so far, starts at left back.
Veteran James Milner has won the competition with Liverpool and Manchester City and captains the team from centre midfield, alongside Paraguayan Diego Gomez.
Brighton's talented academy graduate Harry Howell makes competitive debut and the 17-year-old is expected to play on the right flank.
Brajan Gruda and Ferdi Kadioglu are in for their first starts of the campaign and Jack Hinshelwood, who played the second 45 minutes at Everton, is expected to play as a false nine.
Tommy Watson and Greek lads on the bench
New summer signings Tommy Watson, Charalampos Kostoulas and Stefanos Tzimas are on the bench with Tariq Lamptey, Carlos Baleba, Matt O'Riley, Charlies Tasker and Freddie Simmonds.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said: “They are a very compact team, they know how to defend and they are a big danger from set-pieces.
"It is a good opportunity for us to grow and outplay them. The cup tournament is always a chance for us to win a trophy.”
There might also be a chance for Greek duo Babis Kostoulas and Stefanos Tzimas to feature, according to Hurzeler.
"They'll both be in the squad - let's see how much game time they will get," he added. "They need to get some game time to get closer to the team. They need to use every training session to adapt to the intensity."
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