We may have all but lost our Capital One Cup semi-final tie with Manchester City, but it does still give us a chance to welcome back a few injured or suspended players and begin working towards the rest of the season.
Andy Carroll‘s return has been our biggest boost of the season so far and Sam Allardyce could be tempted to start him tonight in order for him to continue his development.
James Tomkins and Kevin Nolan both return from suspension and Big Sam has hinted that they will go straight back in to the side tonight, which means Roger Johnson and Jack Collison could both make way.
Ricardo Vaz Te is another player we could welcome back today after he featured for the Development Squad last night, which means we’ve finally got a number of options as we head in to the most important part of our devastating season.
Other than the above chances, I’d like to see Allardyce stick with pretty much his strongest XI. We need some consistency in the side now and, with just Winston Reid the only long-term absentee still sidelined, Allardyce can no longer have excuses to defend abject performances.
So here’s how I think Allardyce may line-up against City at Upton Park…
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How do you think Allardyce should approach tonight’s game at Upton Park? Let us know in the comments section below.
