Neil Adams looking for progress in the Capital One Cup
NORWICH City will be prepared for a Shrewsbury Town side ready to cause another upset in the Capital One Cup, says boss Neil Adams.The League Two outfit have seen off Blackpool and Premier League Leicester City on their way to the round three of the competition, with the Canaries their next target at Greenhous Meadow on Tuesday night (7.45pm).
Adams insists he and his staff will leave nothing to chance for a tie in which they want to triumph.
“It’s important for us, it gives us opportunity for one or two players who need minutes to have a run-out, but the priority is to win the game,” he said.
“It’s a dream for situation for a team. They’ve got an opportunity to go and claim another scalp. They’ve already beaten Blackpool and Leicester, so that in itself tells you that they mean business.
“We’ll treat it the same as any other game. We’ve had the match reports done, we’ve got the DVDs of them, as we do with every team. As I’ve said before, we know what to expect. They’re certainly going to have to come at us and make a game of it, and it’s a no-lose situation for them.”
Tuesday’s match is sandwiched between six Sky Bet Championship games in 22 days for his team, but Adams says that doesn’t mean they will be taking the contest lightly.
“It is a fine balancing act, because you’ve got one eye on the Saturday just gone in terms of injuries and knocks, and you’ve got the other eye on the next league game, but then you’ve got a massively important cup game as well,” he told reporters at the Club’s Colney Training Centre.
“The priority will always be the league, no matter what division you’re in. Every manager will say the same thing, that’s the bread and butter.
“I believe we’ve got up to 1000 supporters travelling, which in itself is every reason to take the game seriously.
“I’d be lying to you if I said if it was any more important than the league games, they’re always the most important thing, but do we want to win the game? Absolutely.”
City’s manager will utilise the depth of his first team squad for the game, confirming that Wes Hoolahan will be among those to sit out.
“Wes will have a breather. He looked a little bit tired; it wasn’t anything to do with his ankle. He’ll be back involved at the weekend,” he added.
“There will be plenty of players in my thoughts. We’ve got a good squad here now, some are playing, some are not, it’s far from a case of playing what would have been five or six years ago ‘the reserves’.
“These players are good experienced players, and we’ve got fringe players too that are in the Under-21s, so it’s a great opportunity to give them an opportunity to play.
“I don’t want to give too much away, I will rest one or two of them.”
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