Lincoln City v Everton

Everton will be hoping to put what has been an uninspiring start to the season behind them when they face Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. 

One win, one draw, one loss is the Blues’ record going into the clash, scoring just once in the three outings.

But Marco Silva will be hoping a run-out against a League One outfit will get the goals flowing for the Merseysiders before a tough meeting with Wolves on Sunday afternoon.

 The Imps will be no pushovers though, as they proved when they came to Goodison Park in January for a third round FA Cup tie. 2-1 was the score that day, with goals from Bernard and Ademola Lookman sparing the Blues’ blushes. 

But the loss in L4 didn’t stop Lincoln’s momentum, as by the end of the campaign they were crowned Champions of League Two. 

Danny Cowley’s side got off to an excellent start to life in the third division, beating Accrington Stanley, Rotherham and Southend United in their opening three league games. They also beat Championship side Huddersfield town away from home in the first round of the cup. 

But fortunes have changed in the last two, losing 2-1 to both Doncaster Rovers and MK Dons. 
After five games they find themselves seventh in the table, just two points separate them from league topping Ipswich Town. 

Team news

Jean-Philippe Gbamin will be out of action for a minimum of eight weeks.

Fabian Delph is in contention to make his Everton debut after recovering from an injury sustained during preseason. 

A calf injury ruled Jonas Lossl out of bench duty on the weekend, but he is likely to start at Sincil Bank on Wednesday if he is passed fit. 

Moise Kean and Alex Iwobi proved to be the Blues’ brightest sparks in their cameos at Villa Park, so the pair could be set for their first starts for the club.  

Man in the middle

Darren Bond will officiate the fixture. Last season he dished out 114 yellow cards and seven reds in 37 games.