CHERRIES hope to continue their run in the Carabao Cup this evening when they welcome Stoke City to Vitality Stadium in the third round.

Whilst Andoni Iraola has pledged to take the cups seriously this term, having reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey previously in his managerial career, tonight’s game comes in a busy period, sandwiched between Sunday’s trip to Brighton and this coming Saturday, when Cherries host Arsenal.

Injuries have impacted Iraola’s ability to rotate thoroughly, but it has made it arguably easier to guess who will start.

Here is our predicted XI.

Goalkeeper and defence

Andrei Radu was handed a Cherries debut in the last round, and it is likely the Romanian will once again start in between the sticks.

The backline has taken a beating on the injury fronts in recent weeks.

Ryan Fredericks is a long term absentee, and is not close to a return, but he is now joined in the treatment room by Chris Mepham and Lloyd Kelly.

Adam Smith is yet to make an appearance since his own return from injury, and the chance to rest Max Aarons will probably be taken.

Kelly’s injury leaves depth at left back a concern, meaning Milos Kerkez will probably have to start.

Development squad captain Ben Greenwood played 30 minutes off the bench in a 1-0 win over Charlton yesterday as he ramps up a return from injury, so he might be included in today’s squad.

However, with Aarons able to play at left back as well, it might be a case of Kerkez playing one half before being replaced by the England under-21 international in a bid to at least give both full backs some rest.

With Mepham and Kelly out, it is hard to look past Illia Zarbarnyi and Marcos Senesi as the centre backs.

Midfield

Lewis Cook’s performances as the number six in Iraola’s system has highlighted how important it is to have a naturally defensive midfielder in the side. That is not a criticism of Joe Rothwell, who we believe will come back into the team this evening.

But it has been clear that Rothwell is not perfectly suited to the more conservative midfield role, although Cherries’ depth issues means he might have to help out again.

Philip Billing has missed just 12 minutes of action all season, having started all seven of Cherries’ fixtures.

What makes that stat even more impressive is that Billing has topped the charts for Cherries in terms of distance covered, dispelling the myth that the Dane is lazy on the pitch.

If midfield depth was a little stronger, this would be the perfect opportunity to rest Billing for the first time this season.

But if Tyler Adams is fit enough to be named on the bench, it would not be a surprise to see the American introduced off the bench for Billing, allowing Rothwell to take up the more advanced midfield role that comes naturally to him.

Hamed Traore scored his first goal for the club against Swansea in this competition, with his inclusion allowing Ryan Christie to be rested for the Arsenal game. Expect the Ivorian to start as the 10.

Forwards

Luis Sinisterra is cup tied, whilst Marcus Tavernier will have to be managed carefully as he nears full fitness upon his return from injury.

Dango Ouattara is another who needs minutes after a spell on the sidelines, and as he did not start on Sunday against Brighton, it makes sense for him to come in against Stoke.

David Brooks impressed in the last round away at Swansea, scoring in south Wales. That is his most recent start, being reduced to cameo appearances off the bench in Cherries’ last three league games.

As such, tonight represents a good opportunity for the Welsh international to stake a claim for a larger role in the coming weeks.

Antoine Semenyo has said that he views himself as a number nine, but he is yet to play there with much regularity at Cherries.

That is largely because Dominic Solanke is one of the first names on the team sheet when fit, Cherries’ talismanic striker both a source of goals and a key cog in how they play.

But as Iraola pointed out, with three games in the span of seven days, that chance to rotate has to be taken where possible.

Kieffer Moore started in the last round of the cup, but he has not been included in the previous two squads for Premier League games against Chelsea and Brighton. Expect him to at least be named on the bench, but if Solanke is rested, Semenyo seems more likely to start up top.

Predicted XI: Radu; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Rothwell, Billing, Traore; Brooks, Ouattara, Semenyo.

What do you make of the predicted XI? Who do you think should start tonight?