The Carabao Cup fixture at Home Park tonight gives Coventry City manager Frank Lampard the ideal chance to blood players who saw limited action or none at all in Sunday’s defeat at Arsenal.
Rather than fielding his strongest side to progress in the competition, the Sky Blues must prioritise Premier League survival and maximise their squad resources accordingly. That said, even a largely rotated eleven ought, with all due respect, to prove sufficient against the League One outfit, which has endured a stuttering start to the campaign.
Lampard can first give Gus Hamer and Taiwo Awoniyi – both unused substitutes against Arsenal – a full ninety minutes to build their fitness, alongside the other players who featured from the bench at the Emirates and those who failed to make the matchday squad for the opening fixture. It also represents an ideal chance to rest the club’s more established starters before Saturday’s significant league encounter with Hull, particularly given the lengthy midweek expedition south.
With that in mind, Ben Wilson appears most likely to replace Carl Rushworth between the posts, though Lampard could hand latest acquisition Dan Bentley his bow – though that would be harsh on Wilson.
Whether Kaine Kesler-Hayden has overcome his injury remains to be seen, but should he miss out, Joel Latibeaudiere could fill in at right-back if the manager wishes to rest Milan van Ewijk. Otherwise Latibeaudiere may partner Liam Kitching at centre-back, presuming Luke Woolfenden also remains unavailable through injury. That would leave Jake Bidwell stepping in for Jay Dasilva at left-back to complete the back four.
Josh Eccles and Victor Torp should slot into midfield positions, although Eccles could cover at right-back if Kesler-Hayden remains unavailable and Lampard opts to change all eleven, while Hamer is slated to begin his first competitive match since returning to the club.
It also offers Jack Rudoni a timely opportunity for game time in his preferred number ten role after recovering from shoulder surgery, which would see Tatsuhiro Sakamoto deployed on the right flank and new signing Sidiki Cherif operating from the left at some point during the evening.
As for the attack, the obvious move would be to hand Awoniyi his full Coventry debut, making for a fairly formidable side to face the Pilgrims at Home Park.
Predicted City team v Plymouth: Wilson; Eccles; Latibeaudiere, Kitching, Bidwell; Hamer, Torp; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Cherif; Awoniyi.