Sunderland's Premier League trip to Manchester City on Wednesday was postponed due to inclement weather, allowing Poyet's star men an extra break ahead of the last-16 cup clash.
But despite the unexpected the rest for his players, Poyet said he would stick with his original plan and make several changes for the visit of Southampton.
"I was looking forward to giving a few players opportunities and that will not change," he told The Sunderland Echo.
"We have a few players who need to play and deserve to play but, for different reasons, they haven't been able to.
"I'm talking about players like (Emanuele) Giaccherini and (Ignacio) Scocco. They both need minutes, so we're going to use that game for this.
"But it will all be first-team players, we will not be taking the game lightly. I hope that we win it so we don't have to have a replay."
And they have enjoyed even greater success in the League Cup, with Poyet's men due to take on Manchester City in the final at Wembley on March 2.
Mauricio Pochettino's men come into the game on the back of an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions, including wins over Championship outfits Burnley and Yeovil Town in the third and fourth rounds of the FA Cup.
"We know Sunderland very well," he said.
"This will be the fourth time we've met them (this season) but, when you are playing a lot of competitions, that's always a possibility.
"We are ready to face them. We have learned from every game against them. We review and analyse every game to determine how we have to improve in case we have to repeat situations."
