The Scot has only been able to name four substitutes for the last two Barclays Premier League games and he will be forced to stick with most of the same players again.
The problems could not have come at a worse time given the packed nature of the festive fixture list and Bolton have shown the strain with defeats by Chelsea and Liverpool followed by a 1-1 draw with Wigan on Wednesday.
But they remain seventh in the table, four divisions and 99 places above their opponents, and Coyle would welcome a cup run on top of their league commitments.
He said: "We've had 15 players for the last two Barclays Premier League games and they keep giving everything they've got, so I've been delighted. Our second-half performance against Wigan the other night was of such a high standard and should have resulted in more goals but there were so many positives to take from the game.
"We'll be a bit fatigued because we've had four games in 10 days but I love the magic of the cup and it gives them a chance to play at home again and show their quality. People think I'd be crazy to want an extended cup run given we don't have a lot of numbers but I've shown before with some of my clubs that a good cup run can go hand in hand with terrific league form."
Source: PA
Source: PA