Manchester City defender Micah Richards has claimed that the Capital One Cup is a competition that should be taken seriously by every club.

The Blues, who have won the tournament twice in their history, host Wigan Athletic in the third round later tonight (Tuesday).

"I think the Capital One Cup is definitely worth taking seriously because although we have a lot of games to play, there will be first-team players who don't feature as often and it's a good chance for those who maybe won't feature as often in Champions League games to play and it just keeps everyone happy," Richards told the club's official website.

"Especially when you get to the later stages, it's a great platform to show what you are capable of and maybe show the manager why you think you should be playing more often – it's a win-win situation for everyone."

City go into their match against Wigan on the back of Sunday's emphatic 4-1 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League.