Sheffield Wednesday take on Leicester City’s under-21 side on Tuesday evening at Hillsborough. Wednesday are out of the competition having lost their two previous group matches and, well, let’s just say focus is elsewhere.
But there is a match to be won, there will be opportunities for some of Wednesday’s fringe players to press their cases for further league involvement and there will be paying customers to impress.
What is for sure is that the team named for the clash won’t be made up of youngsters. Darren Moore told The Star over the weekend it would be a squad made up of seniors.
“It's a chance to give one or two some minutes on the pitch,” he said.
“It's at home, which is great, and what it will do is get minutes in the legs. We've then got Saturday and there's a lot of games coming. We'll need the squad. It will get them ready for the matches ahead.”
But how will Wednesday line up? With a focus on run-outs for those who haven’t had many and the resting of players who could use a night with their feet up, here’s the side our man Alex Miller would consider...
1. It could be a new-look Wednesday side..
..and there will likely be a whole load of changes as Darren Moore looks to put minutes in the legs of some of those who have not played a central part to the season so far. But who will feature? Here's the side our man Alex Miller would plump for, in a 4-3-3 set-up. Photo: Steve Ellis
2. GK - Cameron Dawson
Literally the first name on the team sheet when it comes to cup games - stick Dawson down and go from there. The Wednesdayite stopper has had his work cut out in his outings this season but has made some good saves. He'll want to keep building on that and claim his first Papa Johns clean sheet against Leicester. Photo: Isaac Parkin
3. RB - Jack Hunt
A senior man bereft of minutes in recent weeks due to a combination of a nasty chest infection and the form of right-back rival Liam Palmer, Hunt is another to have featured heavily in cup outings this season without playing too much of a part in the league. Needs some minutes if injury allows - he took a knock in training late last week. Photo: Steve Ellis
4. CB - Dominic Iorfa
The fastest man in Yorkshire, they sing. He's another who falls into the category of needing minutes, having fallen down the pecking order just a touch in recent weeks. An undoubted talent, Iorfa strikes as someone needing confidence. A run-out against Leicester City's youngsters could provide that opportunity. Photo: Steve Ellis