Once bitten, twice shy – boss Roberto Di Matteo will take no chances when Albion begin their cup season at Brisbane Road.

Baggies fans can expect a shadow line-up to take the field in London tonight, with the Hawthorns head coach adopting an up-front approach to his priorities this season.

The Italian will ring the changes for the Carling Cup and a look back at last season will tell you why.

Albion’s gaffer knows all about the glory of English knockout competitions, including the League Cup.

Di Matteo struck Chelsea’s second goal in the 1998 League Cup final as they defeated Middlesbrough 2-0, one of three goals in winning Wembley finals for the Baggies chief.

Yet last season he discovered the flip side of cup action as mishaps in FA and Carling Cup games caused him serious problems.

A draining period of extra-time against Rotherham in the second round of the Carling Cup sent the Baggies to Sheffield United four days later exhausted, with only the adrenaline of returning striker Roman Bednar salvaging a draw.

The third-round trip to Arsenal brought a costly red card for Jerome Thomas, bringing the influential winger a three-match ban.

Then, in the FA Cup, came an even more significant day that left a lasting impression on Di Matteo.

The 2-2 fifth-round draw at Reading saw Youssouf Mulumbu collect a one-match ban for a red card and Abdoulaye Meite injured following a nasty challenge by Shane Long.

Most infamously, a late tackle on Gonzalo Jara saw the Chilean revelation ruled out for the remainder of the season, just as he was settling into life at right-back.

Now, having seen cups threaten to derail his side’s push to reach the Premier League, he is not about to jeopardise their hopes of staying there.

As he prepares to field his fringe players against the League One outfit, Di Matteo is attempting to accentuate the positives.

He said: “There’s always a chance for other players to show what they can do and earn a place in the team. I will make many changes.

“Our priority is staying in the Premier League.”

The decision to make sweeping changes is likely to hand opportunities to impress to players who have yet to figure in matchday squads in the Premier League.

They will include defenders Gianni Zuiverloon and Leon Barnett along with out-of-favour striker Luke Moore but not centre-back Abdoulaye Meite, who is troubled with a groin problem.

And first-team coach Michael Appleton is calling on the fringe men to take their chance.

He said: “It’s an opportunity for the lads to switch off from the Premier League and maybe it will give a few of the lads who haven’t had a lot of games recently an opportunity to play.

“We need to look after some of the players who are going to play a lot of the games.

“They have been putting big shifts in lately and a lot of them went away before the first game of the season on international duty.

“We are aware of that, so other players will get an opportunity to step in and show what they can do.”

New signing Peter Odemwingie is unlikely to figure after marking his debut against Sunderland with the winning goal.

Appleton said: “He only trained with us on the day before the game and he did ever so well.

“We didn’t think he would last 90 minutes but he did and to score so late on was a real bonus as well.

“I would imagine he will get a good rest and prepare himself for the Liverpool game.”

While Appleton admitted Saturday’s win has improved the mood in the Baggies camp, the coach has warned the players must remain focused for tonight’s match.

Appleton said: “We had the lads in on Sunday to do their recovery sessions and they were in a much better mood than they were in the previous week.

“We have had a couple of good days now and as soon as we get the Carling Cup game out of the way the focus will be very much on Sunday’s game against Liverpool.

“The players need to be able to switch off and it’s up to us to make sure that they do switch off from the Premier League.

“There hasn’t been any talk about Liverpool and that is important because we have to give Leyton Orient and the Carling Cup respect.

“As soon as this game is over, and hopefully won, we will have three days to prepare for the Liverpool match.

“That’s when everybody will be switched on.”

Orient manager Russell Slade could name an unchanged side, after the Os picked up their first point of the season with an encouraging display at Southampton on Saturday.

By Steve Madeley