Five Premier League teams return to the field for League Cup fourth round action on Tuesday, including a pair of all-Premier League meetings.
A berth in the quarterfinals is on the line, but many top-tier teams still may wish to rotate the squad as fixture congestion continues to prove difficult to navigate. Manchester City is likely top of that list as they take on Southampton, with Pep Guardiola potentially looking to get fringe players some time against Premier League opposition.
22-year-old Angelino seems the most likely of the reserves to see the field, although Guardiola could look to get Benjamin Mendy more playing time in place of the injured Oleksandr Zinchenko. Riyad Mahrez could get a run on the field while Raheem Sterling sits, while teens Eric Garcia and Adrian Bernabe both could be in contention. Southampton will be looking to bounce back from its landmark drubbing against Leicester City over the weekend, and that could push Ralph Hasenhuttl to field a strong lineup.
Also meeting are Everton and Watford at Goodison Park, with both squads languishing in the bottom of the league table and looking for some form. The Toffees feel like they’re on the brink of breaking through with a string of performances, and this match looks a promising chance to break the scoring struggles against a woeful Watford defense.
Leicester City has drawn a road date with Burton Albion coming on the heels of the Saints pasting. They have scored 21 goals across their last four matches, white-hot form that will have Burton fans cowering prior to this matchup. Burton Albion sits 13th in League One after relegation last season, but they knocked off Bournemouth last time out, so the Foxes will need to keep their heads.
All games kick at 3:45 p.m. ET.
Tuesday EFL Cup matches
Man City v. Southampton
Everton v. Watford
Burton Albion v. Leicester City
Crawley Town v. Colchester United
Oxford United v. Sunderland