Garry Monk's Swansea began the 2014-15 season in positive fashion, winning all of their first three Premier League games, including a 2-1 triumph at Old Trafford in Louis van Gaal's first competitive match in charge of Manchester United.
But the Welsh outfit, who won this competition under Michael Laudrup in 2013, have been brought back down to earth with a bump in recent times, losing their 100 per cent record after a 4-2 defeat at Chelsea last weekend.
Monk's men suffered a further blow on Saturday in going down 1-0 at home to Southampton, while Wilfried Bony's dismissal in that game means he is suspended for Tuesday's clash at the Liberty Stadium.
Despite their recent defeats, captain Ashley Williams has called for everyone at the club to retain their sense of perspective.
"We have to stay positive," he said. "We don't like to lose two on the spin.
"The lads are disappointed but we'll pick ourselves back up.
"It's been a positive start on the whole and that's what we need to remember."
Monk made several changes for Swansea's second-round tie against Rotherham United, and the manager could shuffle his pack again on Tuesday in a bid to give game time to some of the fringe players in the squad.
For the visitors, this contest represents their third match in six days.
The Merseyside club went down to a shock 3-2 defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday, after beating Wolfsburg 4-1 in the UEFA Europa League three days prior to that, and Roberto Martinez is calling on his players to impress as Everton juggle three separate competitions.
"We've got a game on Tuesday in the cup and it's a very busy period," he said. "It's a period that we want to take advantage of.
"There's real competition for places in the squad and on days like today [Sunday] it's quite clear we need everybody to be ready and those games are going to be vital to see how well we can progress."
Seamus Coleman missed the defeat to Palace after taking a knock to the head against Wolfsburg and remains a doubt, as is Steven Pienaar, who continues to struggle with a groin injury.
