Carling Cup match preview

Last updated : 25 August 2009 By Angus Muller

Rodgers fielded a number of fringe players in the first round and was rewarded with a thumping 5-1 win over Burton Albion.

Strikers Nicholas Bignall and David Mooney both scored twice in that game and should be recalled while final goalscorer Gylfi Sigurdsson is in the running to start after making his league debut against Sheffield United on Saturday.

Ben Hamer will play in goal to give Adam Federici a rest after the Australian's bad error against the Blades while James Henry, Scott Davies and Brynjar Gunnarsson could all also feature.

Rodgers will be without Jimmy Kebe (groin), Chris Armstrong (knee) and Ivar Ingimarsson (knee), while Czech Republic international Marek Matejovsky may be given a run-out as he recovers from a long-standing groin niggle.

Barnsley manager Simon Davey is set to be without defender Bobby Hassell for the Carling Cup second round clash.

Hassell limped out of Saturday's defeat to Leicester with an ankle injury and is a major doubt for the visit to the Madejski Stadium.

"Bobby felt something pop in his Achilles in the first half. We will have to see how he is when things have settled down a little," Davey told the club's official website.

Striker Daniel Bogdanovic was unavailable at the weekend after returning to Malta for family reasons and could miss out once again.

Fellow frontman Andy Gray made his debut at Leicester after joining from Charlton but will be unavailable as he is cup-tied.

Sporting Life