Ian Evatt says Wanderers’ Cup clash with Aston Villa is “a wonderful game to have” – but admits some players will be disappointed with his team selection.

Steven Gerrard’s Premier League side head to the UniBol with a place in the Carabao Cup third round on the line in front of the TV cameras.

It is the type of game that every player wants to be involved in, but Evatt can’t include everyone in his starting line-up.

“It’s a fantastic game to have,” said the Bolton chief. “[We have] nothing to lose, not expected to win, not expected to do anything.

“I think we can be dangerous when we’re like that so as we always do we’ll come out swinging and see how we get on.

“I think it’s a game which as a football player you want to play in. There will be some disappointed players tomorrow. Obviously, the league is our bread and butter and the most important thing.

“But it’s a fantastic game, a big crowd, Sky TV, a Premier League team, wonderful players and manager. It is one we’re looking forward to.”

Gerrard is expected to field a strong line-up as Villa aim to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace at the weekend.

But Evatt wants his players to ignore reputations and give a good account of themselves against the Midlands club.

“I do think we will be competitive tomorrow night,” he added. “Whether or not we will be good enough, time will tell.

“But we will give it our best shot and that is all we can ask for really. We all aspire to be in the Premier League.

“Myself and the players – we look up to Premier League managers and players. But tomorrow night it is 11-v-11, as simple as that.

“We leave their household names at the door and we have to just play the individual and not the name on the back of the shirt.”

Wanderers enter the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday after goals from George Byers and Liam Palmer.

“Watching it back, I learned exactly what I knew on Saturday. We were in control of the game, they didn’t create any problems in the first half an hour,” the manager explained.

“It was all us – it was tight obviously, but it looked like it was us in the ascendancy. And then five minutes of sheer madness really from Conor’s missed chance to then being 2-0 down – it was literally five minutes.

“The game was lost in those five minutes. But other than that, I didn’t see anything that surprised me. I didn’t see anything that made me think they were superior to us in anyway.

“I just think it was five minutes of madness - we didn’t react well to the initial mistake. Mistakes happen, I have no issue with the mistake. But I have an issue to the reaction to the mistake and then the lead up to the second goal.

“We are disappointed, but it is the first loss in 14 competitive games and only the fourth since the second week of January.

“It is not the end of the world and we are not going to lose any sleep over it. We will dust ourselves down and go again.”