Starting early as I have nothing else to do!!
As any know, I am not particularly interested in the competition formerly known as the League Cup. We cannot win this Mickey Mouse cup. Teams like Man City, Man Poo, Liverpool, Chelsea and even those like Arsenal and Spurs have a second team that costs far more than our First 11. If any get to the latter stages, they will just bring their big boys back as all will want to add a trophy to their season
My ambition is just to get through this tie so some of our kids get another game v a proper men's side. Fulham really don't have many claims to fame but:
1. Roman Abramovich was flying to the UK to buy Fulham (Not Chelsea) until he saw the state of their stadium and learned how weak their fanbase was - True Fact
2. George Best, Rodney Marsh and Bobby Moore were in their side in the 70's
3. They once had a statue of Michael Jackson outside their ground
4. Jimmy 'The Chin' Hill was once their chairman
5. They were once owned by the owner of Harrods. Now it is owned by some guy from the US who also owns an NFL team.
Cannot see Silva putting out a second-string U23 side as he will want to progress and he knows our weakness is a lack of pace at the back + only having 1 experienced CB. So I expect him to field a strong side which will include Mitrovic with Kebano and Cavaleiro out with our old youth player Cairney in the middle with Decordova-Reid. Will also play some big CBs to take advantage of our inability to cope at set pieces.
Enough about them and onto us.
Our injury list is long! No Llorente, Koch or Forshaw with Struik suspended too.
Doubts about Ayling, Bamford, Harrison and Rafa - I would not risk any of these for this game.
If I were MB I would pick: Meslier Drameh Cresswell Cooper Firpo Kenneh Summerville Shackelton James Roberts Rodrigo Subs: From the U23s but to include Geldhart, Greenwood and McTurk. Firpo - selected as he needs game time in English Football
Roberts - needs game time
Rodrigo - needs a string of games
James - needs to get used to playing for LUFC
Drameh, Cresswell, Kenneh, Summerville - 'Its now or never' Time for them to show if they are as good as many believe.
Geldhart and Greenwood to come on after 60 minutes for Rodrigo and Roberts with McTurk coming on after 75 mins for James
No prediction as when I do we always lose.
5200 tickets for Arsenal game limited because we would not sit down last time and out sang them