John Sheridan insists his Carlisle United side will "have a go" at Championship visitors Blackburn in the Carabao Cup tonight.

The Blues' boss says that, although Tony Mowbray's side will be expected to have the better of possession, Carlisle can cause an upset.

"Usually when you play against these teams, from the Premier League or Championship, they are technically very good, possession-wise," Sheridan said.

"But we're here to have a go. We're not here thinking we're going to get beat. We're going into the game thinking we can give Blackburn a tough time and we want to get through to the next round."

Both managers are expected to make changes tonight, with midfielder Mike Jones unlikely to figure for the Blues after he limped off with a hamstring injury on Saturday.

A possible return to Brunton Park for Rovers' ex-Blues striker Danny Graham will depend on the extent of Mowbray's changes.

United players hoping for a call-up, meanwhile, will include Gary Miller, Macaulay Gillesphey and Adam Collin.

New defender Anthony Gerrard will again be in the squad but Sheridan says he remains reluctant to rush him into action.

"I know he will want to get in as quickly as he can, but we've got to make sure he's right - we don't want to throw him in at the deep end," Sheridan said.

"I'm probably looking at Cheltenham [this Saturday] more than Tuesday.

"We'll have to see how Jonah is. If we're another body light, that makes it a bit more difficult, so we've got to be careful with who you use and how many games they play.

"I might have to use him [Gerrard] quicker than I thought, but I just have to make sure it's the right time."

Sheridan says the ex-Oldham centre-half has settled quickly into the squad.

"You'd think he'd been here two or three years," Sheridan said.

"He's a good lad, gets on with everyone, and everyone will like him - he's that kind of lad.

"Even on the bench you can hear him, he was probably shouting more than me [on Saturday]. Well, maybe not. But he'll be good for us."

Tonight's first-round tie will go straight to penalties if it is a draw after 90 minutes.

Blackburn boss Mowbray, whose have drawn their first two Championship games, said: "We want to give a good account of ourselves. We’ll have an eye on the weekend and getting three points, so there will be a few changes.

"We want to give everyone an opportunity and see how they do."