Half a chance for Jermain Defoe in the early stages of this game.

He's desperate to get among the goals tonight and boldly proclaimed he will get a hat-trick against Birmingham.

Rob Nothman
BBC Sport

Ian Dennis and Leon Osman are in place on BBC Radio 5 live for tonight's Carabao Cup commentary at Bramall Lane but where's the crowd?

Image source, BBC Sport

John Southall
BBC Radio Five Live football reporter

Lots of empty seats at Selhurst Park and it's all fairly subdued. The Ipswich kids are settling into this game now, remember it's an average age of 19 years and 3months....they can't can they ?

Image source, BBC Sport

Hear that? That's the sound of referees up and down the country putting their whistles to their lips and blowing.

We're pretty much fully under way in the EFL Cup. Bolton v Sheff Wednesday and Reading v Millwall gets under way at 20:00 BST.

Leon Osman
Ex-Everton midfielder on Football Focus

Leicester have been very much on the front foot in their games so far this season and that's what brought them success two years ago.

Craig Shakespeare has got them playing like they did when they won the title - I'm sure he'll be demanding they deliver the same style of play tonight.

A certain online search engine will be getting a hammering from me tonight as I try and work out who most of the players involved tonight are. So many sides have made massive changes for the competition.

It's almost time for the 18 remaining ties to get under way.

Matt Wilkinson: I will be on M6 on way home from Anfield after Hoffenheim game. If Sat'day traffic is anything to go by I'm in for 04:15 EFL draw

Brighton boss Chris Hughton gives 18-year-old midfielder Jayson Molumby his senior debut.

Niki Maenpaa starts in goal for the Seagulls with Anthony Knockaert starting on the right wing.

Brighton: Maenpaa, Rosenior, Hunemeier, Goldson, Bong, Skalak, Ince, Molumby, Knockaert, Towell, Hemed. Subs: Ahannach, Ryan, Dunk, Propper, Mateju, Connolly, Tilley.

Barnet: Ross, Santos, Clough, Tutonda, Harry Taylor, Jack Taylor, Fonguck, Vilhete, Campbell-Ryce, Coulthirst, Akpa Akpro. Subs: Akinola, Ruben Bover, Kyei, Shomotun, Smith, Amaluzor.

Referee: Stephen Martin

Four changes for Swansea as in come keeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt, defenders Angel Rangel and Mike van der Hoorn and midfielder Jay Fulton.

MK Dons: Sietsma, Brittain, Downing, Walsh, Lewington, Ariyibi, Upson, McGrandles, Muirhead, Rasulo, Agard. Subs: Nicholls, B Williams, Cisse, Sow, Seager, Tshibola, Nombe.

Swansea: Nordfeldt, Rangel, van der Hoorn, Bartley, Olsson, Fulton, Roque, Ayew, Fer, Carroll, Abraham. Subs: Mawson, Narsingh, Mulder, Naughton, McBurnie, Baker-Richardson, King.

Referee: Rob Jones

Steve Rowland: Weds/Thurs mornings 2:45am, for Arsenal European games, (until Bayern or Barca) Friday mornings this season...)

First game of the night is under way as Premier League Crystal Palace tackle Championship joint leaders Ipswich.

Gareth Barry captains West Brom at Accrington as Tony Pulis makes just four changes from the weekend.

Accrington Stanley: Chapman, Dallison, Richards-Everton, Hughes, Donacien, Clark, Nolan, Brown, McConville, Edwards, Jackson. Subs: Leacock-McLeod, Sykes, Bloch Jorgensen, Sousa, Ogle, Conneely, Kee.

West Brom: Myhill, Nyom, Hegazi, Dawson, McClean, Morrison, Barry, Phillips, Chadli, Rodriguez, Rondon. Subs: Foster, Livermore, Brunt, Harper, Roberts, Leko, Kane Wilson.

Referee: Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire)

Vicki Sparks
BBC Radio 5 live at Brunton Park

Image source, .

Love the themed seats at Carlisle United!

Leon Osman
Ex-Everton midfielder on Football Focus

With so many changes being made, there's a real opportunity to impress the manager tonight. Hopefully, the leaders in both teams will be saying what a chance this is to progress in the Cup.

John Southall
BBC Radio 5 live at Selhurst Park

The Ipswich team has an average age of 19 years and 3 months, 4 debutants, and a 17 year old starts which will all make Julian Speroni, in the Palace goal, feel his age at 38.

A Palace defeat tonight would be a major embarrassment.

Image source, .

Crystal Palace boss Frank de Boer has handed a debut to 18-year-old striker Jason Lokilo. Christian Benteke makes way in one of seven changes.

Meanwhile, Ipswich boss Mick McCarthy has changed the whole starting XI.

Crystal Palace: Speroni, Kelly, Dann, Ward, Schlupp, McArthur, Puncheon, Van Aanholt, Cabaye, KaiKai, Lokilo. Subs: Fosu-Mensah, Milivojevic, Tomkins, Townsend, Hennessey, Lee, Benteke.

Ipswich: Gerken, Woolfenden, Fowler, Webber, Nydam, Rowe, Downes, McDonnell, Celina, McLoughlin, Folami. Subs: Morris, Crowe, Patterson, Chris Smith, McKendry.

Referee: Andy Davies

Striker Ched Evans makes his first start for Sheffield United since rejoining the club.

Plenty of changes to the Leicester side as striker Jamie Vardy and winger Riayd Mahrez are named among the substitutes.

Sheff Utd: Eastwood, Baldock, Wright, O'Connell, Freeman, Brooks, Carruthers, Lundstram, Lafferty, Lavery, Evans. Subs: Stevens, Basham, Thomas, Sharp, Coutts, Duffy, Blackman.

Leicester: Hamer, Amartey, Maguire, Fuchs, Chilwell, Musa, Ndidi, King, Gray, Ulloa, Slimani. Subs: Vardy, Albrighton, Jakupovic, Okazaki, Mendy, Mahrez, Knight.

Referee: Tony Harrington

So the draw for the EFL Cup is at 04:15 BST on Thursday morning, will you be getting up for it? What's the earliest you've got up for something football related and was it worth it?

Let us know via #bbcfootball, text in on 81111 (UK only) or post a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

Image source, Getty Images

There's a nice little reunion going on at Bournemouth tonight as Jermain Defoe comes up against his old manager Harry Redknapp.

Defoe played under Redknapp at West Ham, Tottenham, and Portsmouth.

“I’m looking forward to it, playing against Harry,” said Defoe.

“I’m forever grateful because he was the one. I think in every sport you’ve always got that one person, and he was the one that believed in me from a young age."

Jermain Defoe has had to make do with a place on the bench since returning to Bournemouth but he's handed a start tonight.

Birmingham: Kuszczak, Shotton, Roberts, Grounds, Nsue, Davis, Gleeson, Kieftenbeld, Bramall, Maghoma, Vassell. Subs: Tesche, Gardner, Jutkiewicz, Stockdale, Cotterill, Robinson, Harding.

Bournemouth: Boruc, Adam Smith, Mings, Steve Cook, Brad Smith, Fraser, Gosling, Lewis Cook, Pugh, Defoe, Mousset. Subs: Ake, Afobe, Ramsdale, Hyndman, Ibe, Simpson, Mahoney.

Referee: Geoff Eltringham