Everton v Wolves; can the Toffees kickstart a cup run?

Everton host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday, with the Toffees looking to settle the score after last season’s cup disappointment.

Wolves knocked Everton out at the third-round stage last season, winning 2-0 at Molineux thanks to goals from Marshall Munetsi and Tolu Arokodare.

Everton will be desperate to avoid a repeat, especially with the tie now being played at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The Toffees have made an unbeaten start to the new campaign, taking six points from their opening four Premier League games.

David Moyes’ side were held to a goalless draw by Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, but the result extended their unbeaten run.

Everton have plenty to prove:

Everton’s defence has been one of the positives during the opening weeks of the season.

Jordan Pickford reached 100 Premier League clean sheets against Tottenham, although the England international is expected to be rested for this cup tie.

Moyes said: “We’ve got to keep improving,” following the draw with Spurs, with Everton now looking for a more convincing attacking display against Wolves.

The Everton boss also has one eye on Saturday’s league meeting with Ipswich Town, meaning several fringe players could be handed an opportunity.

Thierno Barry is expected to lead the line after scoring a hat-trick in Everton’s 4-0 Carabao Cup win over Preston North End in the previous round.

That performance was exactly what Moyes would have wanted from his striker, and another strong showing would put Barry firmly in contention for more Premier League minutes.

Wolves will not fear Everton:

Wolves arrive on Merseyside with confidence after beating Sheffield United 1-0 on Sunday.

Raúl Jiménez scored the decisive goal late on, giving Cesar Peixoto’s side another boost heading into the cup.

Peixoto said: “Wins are very important for the confidence of the players,” after the victory at Bramall Lane.

The result also gave Wolves their first Championship clean sheet of the season.

That matters because this is a very different Wolves side from the one Everton faced in the Premier League last season.

Fer López has also emerged as one of their most exciting players, while Rodrigo Gomes provides another threat from wide areas.

Wolves have scored freely this season, but Peixoto will know that keeping Everton quiet could be the key to another cup upset.

History gives Wolves belief:

The most recent meeting between the clubs was a 3-2 Everton victory at Molineux in August 2025.

That win came after Wolves had initially taken the lead, with Everton eventually turning the game around.

But the cup meeting later that season belonged to the Old Gold.

Wolves’ 2-0 victory sent them through while leaving Everton to reflect on another early Carabao Cup exit.

Across the overall head-to-head, Everton have the advantage, winning 65 of the 147 meetings between the clubs compared with Wolves’ 52.

There have been 30 draws.

That history will count for little on Wednesday, though, particularly with both managers expected to make changes.

Predicted line-ups:

Everton are expected to rotate, with Mark Travers coming in for Jordan Pickford.

Predicted Everton XI: Mark Travers; Jake O’Brien, Michael Keane, James Tarkowski, Vitalii Mykolenko; Hayden Hackney, Harrison Armstrong; Tyler Dibling, Charly Alcaraz, Jack Grealish; Thierno Barry.

Wolves are also expected to make significant changes after their trip to Sheffield United.

Predicted Wolves XI: João Virgínia; Jackson Tchatchoua, Saheed Olagunju, Toti Gomes, Ghislian Konan; Boubacar Traoré, Tommy Doyle; Sean Neave, Jordan James, Rodrigo Gomes; Raúl Jiménez.

The Old Gold will be hoping Jiménez can carry his goalscoring momentum into another big cup night.

For Everton, the challenge is simple: take the competition seriously, get the fringe players firing and make sure last season’s Wolves nightmare does not happen again.

On paper, Everton should have enough to get through.

But Wolves have already proved they know exactly how to make life uncomfortable for the Toffees.

And that makes this third-round tie far more interesting than the Premier League-versus-Championship gap might suggest.