Everton travel to Sincil Bank to open their Carabao Cup campaign against League One outfit Lincoln City on Wednesday.
It has been a difficult start to the season for the Toffees, who have picked up four points from three Premier League games and suffered a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa on Friday.
They play a home side that lies seventh in League One and will be determined to cause an upset after losing each of their last two fixtures.
Can Marco Silva’s side avoid an upset?
| Game | Lincoln City vs Everton |
| Date | Wednesday, August 28 |
| Time | 7:45pm BST / 2:45pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!
In the United States (US), the game will not be available to view on television but it will be available for streaming via ESPN+.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | ESPN+ |
In the UK, the match will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, and available to stream on Sky Go.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League | Sky Go |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Lincoln squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Vickers, Smith |
| Defenders | Shackell, McCombe, Bolger, Toffolo, Coker, Habergham, Eardley, Lewis |
| Midfielders | Brown, Bostwick, O'Connor, Shaw, Chapman, Morrell, Anderson, Grant, Payne |
| Forwards | Andrade, Akinde, Walker |
Confirmed Lincoln XI: Smith, Lewis, Bolder, Shackell, Toffolo, O'Connor, Morrell, Payne, Anderson, Andrade, Akinde
| Position | Everton squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Pickford, Stekelenburg, Lossl |
| Defenders | Bains, Keane, Digne, Mina, Coleman, Holgate, Martina, Sidibe |
| Midfielders | Sigurdsson, Schneiderlin, Davies, Andre Gomes, Mirallas |
| Forwards | Bernard, Walcott, Tosun, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, Niasse, Kean, Iwobi, Bolasie |
Confirmed Everton XI: Pickford; Sidibe, Keane, Holgate, Digne; Schneiderlin, Delph; Richarlison, Sigurdsson, Iwobi; Kean
Betting & Match Odds
Everton are 1/2 with bet365 to win this match in normal time. Lincoln are on offer at 11/2, with a draw 10/3.
Match Preview
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Everton’s Carabao Cup campaign begins on Wednesday when they travel to Sincil Bank to meet Lincoln.
Their lower-league opponents should be familiar to the Toffees, as they met in FA Cup third-round action at Goodison Park earlier this year and were given a significant scare in a 2-1 success. If that was not warning enough for the Merseyside club about their rivals’ giant-killing potential, they should remember that the Imps reached the quarter-final of the 2017 FA Cup.
Little wonder, then, that Marco Silva is treating this encounter with a sense of trepidation.
“In this competition we will play with our maximum ambition to do something special,” he said on Tuesday.
“I'm not here to talk about possible rotation or not, we have to look at the competition and the match. We have some solutions.
“We have maximum respect for our opponent and the competition. It doesn't make sense to make rotation just to make rotation.
“We will play with the 11 I think is the best 11 to play this match.”
Opposite number Danny Cowley is similarly looking forward to the match.
“It’s great for the players to be able to pit their wits against world-class players and it’s great for us to do the same against their vastly experienced management team,” he said.
“And it’ll be a brilliant spectacle for the people of Lincoln and hopefully a great way for them to finish their summer.”
With prices set at £15 for adults, Sincil Bank will be in raucous mood for the visit of the Premier League outfit.
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