After a fantastic win against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, Everton will want to continue their winning streak against fourth-tier side Salford City in the EFL Cup.
After an injury free game last Saturday, it looks like there are no new dramatic setbacks for Everton going into their first Carabao Cup game against Salford City. Ancelotti seemed very impressed with all his new signings and fans from all over the world were praising this new look team, however, seeing as Salford City have never played against a Premier League team we can expect Carlo Ancelotti will be playing a slightly weaker team tomorrow and, hopefully, ease into the next round.
The selection process and changes to the squad will be vital because fitness and injuries will be a key component. Having 3 games in 7 days is always a huge strain in any club, so Ancelotti needs to decide where his priorities lie in terms of competition as well as players.
With the likes of Theo Walcott, Bernard, Moise Keane and Gylfi Sigurdsson all on the bench at the weekend, I expect we’ll see a lot of these players starting as well as playing the majority of the match to keep the new signings fit and safe for their next game against West Bromwich Albion this Saturday.
Saying that, we may get a glimpse of Doucoure or Allan to add a bit of spice later on but I wouldn’t be surprised if James Rodriguez sits out the whole game as he will be vital in a few days time.
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This game is the perfect opportunity for Moise Kean to show how well he is progressing. Ancelotti seems to be sticking by the young Italian striker, for the time being at least, who is yet to make a real impact since his arrival last August. Having only scored only twice for the club, Kean needs to hit the ground running this season or the constant rumours of him leaving Everton may come to fruition sooner rather than later.
I would expect Carlo Ancelotti will use this time, against a much lower-tiered club, to give some of his younger and lesser experienced players some minutes.
This could mean we see a start for new signing Niels Nkounkou and recent first team graduate Jarrad Branthwaite. Both have shown huge promise as of late and could be given the chance to prove they belong on the first team.
With Everton being without a trophy for a long time now, this could be the season they bring home some silverware. The board is backing Ancelotti and delivering the promises made to him in terms of signing key players that will improve the squad quality and catalyze the process of winning a trophy. With his new additions, he now has depth to his squad and can rotate players to keep fitness levels high.
The manager will take the Carabao Cup very seriously and if we can get in just a couple more big signings, you never know, this could be the season we get a trophy.