Everton boss David Moyes insists they're not 'doing a Wolves' by selecting a shadow team for their Europa League tie with BATE Borisov.
Veteran goalkeeper Carlo Nash, 16-year-old defender Jake Bidwell and midfielder Adam Forshaw, 18, will make their Everton debuts against Belarussian side BATE Borisov, just 48 hours after Mick McCarthy caused uproar by fielding a shadow side against Manchester United.
Bidwell and Forshaw were not even on the original squad list, but Moyes flatly denied he was adopting the same cynical approach as the Wolves boss.
"You cannot draw comparisons between us and Wolves, because there aren't any," said the Everton manager. "For one thing, I'm naming our team in advance, so people can make their minds up whether they want to come along.
"For another, there are no implications for who qualifies. We are second in the group and will remain second, regardless of the result. We earned the right to do this by winning in Athens and Borisov, and you can't say we are leaving the integrity of the competition open to question.
"Joseph Yobo and Sylvain Distin are injured and Lucas Neill and John Heitinga ineligible, so who am I supposed to play in central defence? There are few options. We just don't have enough players, and that is why I called up Bidwell and Forshaw."
