Lampard hints that he will make changes for Villa clash

Frank Lampard hinted that he will make changes in Coventry City’s EFL Cup third-round clash against Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Coventry have lost all four of their opening Premier League fixtures so far this season, but are coming up against an Aston Villa side that have only found the net once so far this campaign.

Many Coventry stars, including new signings Stephen Mfuni and Yann Gboho, have not started a match this season so far. Sidiki Cherif is also yet to play 90 minutes this season.

“I have heard lots of reaction over the years about, ‘why did the manager do this with cup games?’ but when you work day to day with players and they are training at a good level and want to get in the team – then sometimes you have to give them the opportunities and they hopefully show you stuff that bodes well going forward,” Lampard explained.

“We will certainly try and strike the balance between being competitive as we want to be and potential to see some players and show what they can do.”

Despite saying that he will make changes, Lampard still understands the importance of a Midlands derby against Aston Villa.

“I’m very excited for the occasion,” he said. “I know this is not a Premier League fixture; we got to the Premier League for these kinds of fixtures and is a game the Coventry fans hold dear, not having too many of these over the years, so it’s not short on me.”