Everton will be hoping to avoid an upset in the newly-configured EFL Cup on Tuesday night as the Blues begin their search for silverware in the cup competitions at home to Yeovil Town.
The Toffees have made a positive start to Ronald Koeman's reign as Everton boss and they will be hoping that continues when they welcome the side from League Two to Goodison Park.
Blues hoping to build on positive start to Koeman reign
Everton picked up their first win under Ronald Koeman on Saturday as goals from Kevin Mirallas and Gareth Barry saw the Blues come from behind to defeat West Bromwich Albion. That saw the Toffees build on their 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Koeman and the Blues will now switch their attentions to the EFL Cup as they begin their search for silverware in the cup competitions. Fourteen other clubs have won major trophies since Everton last lifted silverware in 1995, including Portsmouth, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic, and 21 years without a trophy does not conform to a club that remains one of the most successful clubs in the country.
The Blues boss will be keen to end the club's trophy drought and the League Cup offers a first opportunity for Koeman to show his intentions in the cup competitions. The Dutchman wants his players to start building some momentum and feels it is more important to keep them together rather the fracture the side by bringing in fringe players.
For this reason, Everton are expected to field a strong line-up against Yeovil. New signings Ashley Williams and Yannick Bolasie are set for their full debuts after the pair came off the bench in Saturday's win at The Hawthorns, while Romelu Lukaku is set to start his first game of the season after recovering from a heel injury.
The opposition
Yeovil's bright start to the season, which saw them pick up four points from two games and knock League One Walsall out of the EFL Cup, has been halted by back-to-back defeats. An opening day win over Notts County and an away point at Luton Town was followed by defeats to Mansfield Town and Morecambe.
The Glovers are managed by Darren Way, who replaced Paul Sturrock last December after the club had recorded just two wins following relegation to League Two last season. Their key man last season was Polish goalkeeper Artur Krysiak, who kept nine clean sheets following Way's arrival. He has made over 50 appearances for the club since joining from Exeter City in 2014 and he could be in for a busy evening on Tuesday.
Since beating Sunderland in the 1949 FA Cup fourth round, Yeovil have lost all 12 of their meetings with top-flight opposition in all competitions and have never progressed past the second round of the League Cup.
Team news
Romelu Lukaku, Ashley Williams and Yannick Bolasie are all set to be handed starts, but Seamus Coleman is likely to miss out with an ankle injury. Muhamed Besic (knee) and Matthew Pennington (hamstring) remain long-term absentees after undergoing surgery on their respective injuries.
Yeovil Town welcomed back Ryan Dickson and Liam Smith in their 1-0 defeat at home to Morecombe on Saturday, but Josh Ezewele and Darren Ward remain sidelined. On-loan Swansea City defender Liam Shephard could return after picking up an Achilles injury in the previous round of the EFL Cup against Walsall.