McLaren Is In For A Shock Tomorrow | Vital Football

McLaren Is In For A Shock Tomorrow

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Blackpool are strong and organised – this won’t be easy
STEVE McClaren is anticipating a tough fixture against Blackpool in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
The Tangerines may be in a division below QPR but they are enjoying a strong campaign so far, and the R’s chief is expecting a battle for his troops where the right mentality will be key.
Gary Bowyer’s men are eighth in League One and have proven themselves tough to beat – they have only lost once this season in all competitions, and are unbeaten in ten.
The other lads need a break but it will still be a strong team we put out there.
STEVE MCCLAREN Share
“I’ve watched Blackpool and they are a good team,” McClaren told www.qpr.co.uk. “They’re strong, organised and like to play football so it’s not an easy game for us.
“This is going to be a very competitive game, and one that will be as much about mentality as it will be about talent.”
In the middle of a period of seven fixtures in the space of 21 days, McClaren confirmed he will make changes from the side that lost narrowly to Norwich on Saturday, explaining: “We have used the cup well this season.
“It was important for us to win against Peterborough - and you have seen how well they have done this season, topping League One.
“We used our squad against Bristol Rovers and I thought the lads did great, and we will be using the squad again on Tuesday night.
“The other lads need a break but it will still be a strong team we put out there. We want to perform well and we want to win.”
With players likely to get a run-out who have not featured recently in the starting XI in the league, McClaren admits this is a chance for them to show what they can offer.
“Competition is vital and these games are far better than training or under 23s games, which is what some of them have been playing in,” he added.
“We want to win this game – you never put a team out not wanting to win – but we are also using this match to give time to players in the squad who need these games to prove themselves so if players are out of form, they can step in.”
With Blackpool just three points outside the playoff places, it remains to be seen whether Bowyer will also utilise his squad. The Seasiders’ boss made five changes for their second round win at Doncaster.
“How will Blackpool approach this? It’s an interesting one and I don’t know,” McClaren said. “They are just outside the playoffs and looking at their team they must have playoff hopes because they are good enough to do that.
“Bristol Rovers played a pretty strong team, Peterborough did too, and I would expect similar from Blackpool. They’re at home and they will see this as a big game.”
McClaren confirmed Geoff Cameron and Angel Rangel – who missed Saturday’s game against the Canaries – won’t travel north for this game, explaining: “Angel has got a little niggle, and with Geoff we want to make sure he is fully recovered. They won’t be risked.”
 
Also, McLaren in his pre-game presser, stressed to his players some of the Blackpool players they need to watch out for on Tuesday: Alan Ainscow, Alan Ball, Jackie Mudie, and John Murphy to name a few