Round: Blues In It To Win It

Everton taking Carling Cup very seriously, says assistant boss.

Steve Round insists Everton are fully focused on winning the Capital One Cup.

The Blues travel to Leeds United on Tuesday night for what is one of the standout third round ties of this year’s competition.

Victory at Elland Road would put Everton into the last 16 and Round says the game will be treated with the respect it deserves.

He said: “I know the manager is very serious about the competition and you saw that with the performance and the team he picked in the last round.

“We want to do well in it as Everton should be up there winning trophies. The manager won’t be taking this game lightly and you’ll see that with his team selection. He wants to win trophies for this club – that is our history and tradition. This is another opportunity to do that and it is a good opportunity. It also provides another route into Europe.

“It is a competition that might not get the credence it deserves early on but later on, when you get to the quarter-finals and semi-finals, you are certainly glad you are in it.

The immediate hurdle in Everton’s path is a Leeds United team who have made an indifferent start to their Championship campaign.

Round, however, is expecting a tough test against one of the traditional big names of English football.

“This is a difficult game, make no mistake,” he said. “I was there the other week and we have watched every game they have played in the past few weeks.

“You never get an easy game at Leeds, that’s for sure. They are a really big club and this really should be a Premier League fixture given the size of Leeds and the great support they get.”