CDM: Max Sanders
Sanders started the EFL Trophy semi-final in the central midfield role and look steady, and he got minutes against Wigan too. I think Max will be a massive player for us in the longer term and although we haven’t seen a lot of him just yet, he was clearly impressing at Brighton and I think he can adapt quickly. My only worry with this defensive triangle is a lack of genuine experience – all three are playing their first full senior season of English football (Eyoma, Montsma and Sanders) and will be up against decent players such as Pitman and Jack Payne.
CM: James Jones
Jones is sure to get his chance again this evening, after being another of the faces who has dropped off a bit since the start of the season. He looked a real prospect in the run-up to Christmas and was one of the first names on the team sheet. In recent weeks, he’s been a little quiet and struggled to get into the pace of games when he starts. We need to see the pre-Christmas Jones, running box to box and maybe even chipping in with a long-range, curling effort. First minute would be nice James, just to settle the nerves. Cheers.
CM: Conor McGrandles (Cpt)
I’ve gone for McGrandles as a possible captain, although I’d toss it up between him and Tom Hopper. The Scot has been excellent since coming back from injury, he’s looked a creative influence and a goal threat too. If anything, he did look to tire in the Wigan game, but with 180 minutes of football every week, he won’t be the only one. If Grant does miss out, we will need to see the killer ball coming from Conor, something Michael said he was strong at in pre-season.