Coventry City v West Ham United
Carling Cup fourth round
Ricoh Arena
Tuesday 30 October
Kick-off: 7.45pm
Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire)
Live on Sky Sports
Team news
West Ham United go to Championship club Coventry after a strong away display on Saturday evening at Portsmouth when they picked up a deserved 0-0 draw and made it four points from two games. Alan Curbishley said he is likely to have a similar squad at his disposal with Carlton Cole expected to again lead the away attack although Luis Boa Morte could move into a forward position with Matthew Etherington coming in to play on the left.
After strong form for the reserves of late, young winger Kyel Reid could be in contention for a place. Reid had an impact in the previous round against Plymouth Argyle, making the only goal of the game for Dean Ashton. Former Coventry forward Craig Bellamy had struck both goals in the previous 2-0 second-round defeat of Bristol Rovers. Both of those are due to miss out with a knee injury and abdominal strain respectively. Henri Camara and Nolberto Solano are both cup-tied.
Coventry returned to winning ways on Saturday when they won 1-0 at home to Colchester United - with Malta striker Michael Mifsud scoring their first goal in four matches as the club kept a first clean sheet since August. The three previous matches had seen them lose 3-0 at home to Watford and 1-0 twice away from home against Plymouth Argyle and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively. They sit eleventh in the 24-team Championship, two points off the play-off positions.
The hosts could be without Gary Borrowdale (ankle ligament) but full-back Marcus Hall, who returned to the side against Colchester, is likely to continue, while a broken cheekbone may rule out midfielder Stephen Hughes. Striker Dele Adebola (hamstring) is also a concern. Former West Ham United defender Elliot Ward, who made 18 appearances for the club before joining Coventry in summer 2006, missed out on Saturday with an ankle knock and his place could again be taken by Arjan de Zeeuw.
Background
West Ham United have never won the League Cup but twice finished as runners-up. The last final appearance was the 2-1 replay defeat by Liverpool at Villa Park in 1980/81 having drawn the first match 1-1 at Wembley. That campaign saw the only previous meeting between the two clubs in the competition, with Coventry winning 3-2 at home in the two-legged semi-finals before West Ham United won 2-0 at the Boleyn Ground to progress.
In the two-legged 1965/66 final, the club lost 5-3 on aggregate to West Bromwich Albion. The last time the club reached the quarter-finals was the 1999/00 season when losing 3-1 to Aston Villa after the original tie, won 5-4 by the Hammers on penalties after a 2-2 draw, had to be replayed because of an ineligible player.
Coventry, who were relegated from the Premier League in 2001, reached the last eight this season by seeing off Notts County (3-0) and Carlisle United (2-0) before a 2-0 victory at Manchester United when Mifsud stunned Old Trafford with both goals. Coventry have not reached the quarter-finals of the competition since 1991, when they lost 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday.
Last six league meetings
9 April 2005 - West Ham United 3-0 Coventry City
30 August 2004 - Coventry City 2-1 West Ham United
17 April 2004 - West Ham United 2-0 Coventry City
1 November 2003 - Coventry City 1-1 West Ham United
12 February 2001 - West Ham United 1-1 Coventry City
23 September 2000 - Coventry City 0-3 West Ham United
General information
Carling Cup fourth-round ties (all to be played on Wednesday)
Bolton Wanderers v Manchester City
Chelsea v Leicester City
Liverpool v Cardiff City
Luton Town v Everton
Portsmouth v Blackburn Rovers
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur v Blackpool
All fourth-round ties are to be decided on the night, with the potential for extra time and penalties if scores remain level. The Carling Cup fifth-round draw will take place on Saturday lunchtime, live on Sky Sports.
Club information
All away tickets are now SOLD OUT. For more information on getting to the Ricoh Arena, click here