Sunderland expect wholesale rotation against Hull City on Tuesday.
Régis Le Bris must balance this Carabao Cup tie with a crucial upcoming Arsenal fixture.
Up to ten changes are anticipated at the Stadium of Light.
Deadline-day arrival Malick Fofana is primed for his full debut.
The hosts will deploy an anticipated 4-2-3-1 tactical setup.
Chris Rigg will operate as the primary creative pivot in midfield.
This compact shape aims to dictate proceedings despite the sweeping personnel changes.
Hull City Plan Extensive Cup Rotation
The visitors arrive unbeaten with a flawless defensive league record.
Sergej Jakirovic has overseen a start that features zero goals conceded.
However, assistant manager Dean Holden confirmed fringe squad members will feature heavily.
New arrivals Sorba Thomas and Brooke Norton-Cuffy could gain valuable match action.
“There will be changes, Sergej proved that in the first game, he said it’s a good opportunity to get minutes into players who need to get up to speed,” Holden said.
The travelling squad will evaluate matchday fitness prior to kickoff.
“We think so, we’ll see who we’ve got this morning for the trip up to Sunderland this afternoon,” Holden added.
“There’s one or two niggles and knocks but you get them in every single game so hopefully everyone has come through.”
Sunderland host the third-round fixture at 19:45 BST on Tuesday.
