Steven Naismith Everton Chelsea
Everton midfielder Steven Naismith celebrates after scoring against Chelsea in their English Premier League game, September 14Reuters

Fulham will look to put their poor English Premier League form behind them when they host a buzzing Everton side in the third round of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.

The Cottagers have struggled in the Premier League so far, and find themselves in the bottom three with just four points from the first five games of the season.

Everton, on the other hand, are the only remaining unbeaten side in the league and picked up their second straight win with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over West Ham.

Toffees manager Roberto Martinez, though, does not believe Fulham deserve to be third from bottom and is expecting a tough fight from the West London club come Tuesday night at Craven Cottage.

"I would never ever underestimate this Fulham side," the former Wigan manager said. "I admire Martin Jol and the way he gets his team playing.

"I think they use playing at Craven Cottage to their advantage and they are really strong and solid defensively, and then on the ball they use the space really well. They never play in straight lines.

"They have individuals who can win a game with a little bit of magic and we will have to be at our best to keep a clean sheet.

"I know it's going to be a harder game than you would expect when assessing the start Fulham have made to their season. I know this Fulham team is capable of beating anyone on their day."

Martinez feels the game will be won and lost in the centre of midfield, praising the Fulham midfield pair of Steve Sidwell and Scott Parker.

"It's a really nice partnership," Martinez added. "They have experience and know-how which gives a very good balance to the side.

"They have centre-halves of the calibre of (Brede) Hangeland and in the forward positions there are (Dimitar) Berbatov, (Hugo) Rodallega and (Bryan) Ruiz if he is fit. They are players that can take advantage of the balance that Parker and Sidwell give to the team."

Team News: Fulham could welcome back Dimitar Berbatov, after the Bulgarian missed the weekend's Premier League game with a hamstring problem. Bryan Ruiz remains a doubt, while the match comes too early for Maarten Stekelenburg and Matthew Briggs.

Darron Gibson and Arouna Kone return for Everton, but Antolin Alcaraz, Steven Pienaar and Leon Osman are ruled out.

Where to watch

The match is scheduled for a 12.30 a.m. IST (Wednesday) start with no Live telecast on the networks.

Expected lineups: Fulham: Stockdale; Riether, Senderos, Amorebieta, Riise; Karagounis, Boateng; Taarabt, Kasami, Kacaniklic, Rodallega.

Everton: Robles; Hibbert, Heitinga, Distin, Oviedo; Gibson, McCarthy; Deulofeu, Naismith, Mirallas; Lukaku.

Prediction: 2-1 to Everton