Mick McCarthy will be licking his lips at the prospect of surprising Premier League opposition this evening.

Brighton and Hove Albion stand in the Bluebirds' way of potentially drawing one of the big boys in the League Cup third round.

It was an unconvincing 3-2 victory over Sutton United in the first round, a Marley Watkins brace and a late Josh Murphy strike did the trick, condemning the Us to defeat in their first ever League Cup match.

With much stiffer opposition on the horizon, McCarthy will want to field a stronger team to give them the best chance of upsetting the Seagulls.

Six changes could be made from the weekend's 3-1 win over Millwall, however not to say the alterations weaken the strength of the side.

Ryan Wintle and Will Vaulks were the central midfield pair in the first round and should keep their place in the competition, with backup goalkeeper Alex Smithies returning between the sticks.

Perry Ng comes in to give Thomas Sang a rest before the weekend, as do Leandro Bacuna and Ryan Giles in the place of Rubin Colwill and Mark Harris on the flanks.

Ciaron Brown, Isaak Davies, Kieron Evans, Mark McGuinness, Lee Tomlin and Isaac Vassell are all set to miss out through injury, according to Flashscore.