It’s Tuesday night, it’s the second round of the League Cup and it’s a Premiership team at home and the opportunity of adding to the club’s giant killing tradition. The big question, however, is likely to be, which Bolton Wanderers team is going to turn up, literally?

Richard Money will have, hopefully, have most of his squad available for the game. Wrack and Nicholls won’t be figuring, of course, and we still haven’t had any indication as to whether James Constable will have recovered from his injury. Hector Sam picked up a knock on Saturday, as did Martin Butler, but both are likely to be OK for the game, as is Clayton Ince, who has been struggling with a strain for a couple of games now. Anthony Gerrard will be missing, through suspension.

The sixteen is likely to come from Ince, Gilmartin, Pead, Westwood, Roper, Picken, Dann, Taylor, Wright, Kinsella, Keates, Dobson, Fangueiro, Demontagnac, Fox, Butler, Sam and Bedeau.

Bolton have, of course, an embarrassment of riches, as befits a Premiership side. Jaaskelainen, Diouf, Anelka, Campo, Stelios, Nolan and Speed are all household, or near household names, but the question is, with Sam Allardyce’s attitude to this competition at this stage in the past, you do have to question just how many of those stars are likely to appear.

Striker Kevin Davies is out injured, so one would think Sam is unlikely to risk his prize asset up front, Nicolas Anelka. With the player still trying to achieve match fitness, however, the odds may be in favour of him appearing. If he does, we may have real problems coping with the somewhat enigmatic wayward French genius. The strike force is also likely to include Portuguese youngster Vaz Te. As for the other first choice players, Stelios seems the most likely to turn out, as he is just recovering from injury. The last time we met them in this competition, remember, Allardyce used the game to help some players towards fitness, notably Mario Jardel, whose goals made all of the difference.

Other fringe players likely to be figuring are ex England International ‘keeper Ian Walker, Iranian International midfielder Andranik Teimourian, Nicky Hunt and young Polish defender Jaroslaw Fojut. American forward Johann Smith was sent off in the opening reserve fixture and is looking to redeem himself at the moment, but there is talk of him going out to Chester City on loan.

Basically, their probable line up is in the air, although it has to be said, they have tended to field a stronger line up in the last couple of seasons, as the competition does offer a route into Europe, a target Bolton now set themselves every year. The equation has been complicated by a series of defensive injuries, though. Quinton Fortune (ankle) and Abdoulaye Faye (groin) picked up knocks against Middlesbrough at the weekend and Allardyce is not prepared to risk the duo ahead of next Monday’s return to Premiership action at Portsmouth. Tal Ben Haim will face a fitness test on Tuesday morning, which could see the defensive unit get completely reshuffled with players from the Club’s Academy included.

Allardyce said: “From a defensive point of view, it’s looking like I’m going to have to put one of the scholars straight in. This will mean that the defence will be quite disrupted. Hopefully, though, we’ve got enough experience and talent to compete against Walsall, as long as the attitude is right.”

For what it’s worth, they lined up against Boro at the weekend like this:

Jaaskelainen; Ben Haim, Faye, Meite, Fortune; Nolan, Campo, Speed, Diouf, Anelka, Giannakopoulos. Subs: Walker (gk), Hunt, Teimourian, Tal, Vaz Te.

Predictions? It’s “you must be joking” time! Dicky Dosh’s men will want to give a good account of themselves, so a lot depends on the attitude of Bolton. If their fringe players see this as an opportunity to force themselves into the reckoning for the Premiership, then it’s difficult to see anything other than a Bolton win. If, as Sam points out himself, the attitude isn’t right and they see this as a chore turning out at a bottom tier club, then a surprise might just be on the cards. Old Trafford in round three anyone?