Roy Hodgson lays down the gauntlet for Crystal Palace back-up players

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has challenged his fringe players to earn their place in the team to face Plymouth in the Carabao Cup.

Palace head to Devon for a second-round tie on Tuesday with Hodgson considering changes after Saturday's Premier League draw at Brentford.

"It's the usual balancing act," Palace boss Hodgson told the official club website.

"We don't want to send a reserve team down there and get beaten by a very good Plymouth side, because we know how good they are.

"If we're going to get a result down there then we're going to have to play a good team.

"It'll presumably be some sort of balancing act where we don't jettison anyone we think is a first-team player from the last three games just to give (a chance to) someone who hasn't had a kick of a ball yet - you'll have to deserve it.

"You'll have to deserve a kick of the ball and you'll have to deserve a place in the team in place of anyone that I decide to leave out."

The pair have not met since January 2010 when both clubs were in the second tier - Victor Moses scoring in a 1-0 Palace win at Home Park.

Plymouth are back in the Championship after a 13-year absence and aiming to bounce back after successive last-minute defeats to Southampton and Birmingham.

Hodgson said: "At Palace, in all the time I've been here, we haven't placed too much focus on cup games.

"Certainly we would like to give the Carabao Cup a run for its money.

"It certainly won't be like it's been on certain occasions during my time at the club, where surviving in the Premier League has been so far and away the only thing we can put our minds to that we've virtually rested anyone who might be needed for the next game.

"Those aspects will feature in my thinking but what my thinking is, at the moment, I'm afraid only I know."