“It is a juggling act” – Neil Wood explains the need for squad rotation ahead of Burnley cup clash

Salford City boss Neil Wood spoke to the media ahead of his side’s EFL Cup tie at home to Burnley tomorrow night.

The Ammies have lost their last five games in a row, and face a Clarets side which has had a sluggish start to their return to the Premier League.

Whilst Salford have struggled this season so far, they have found success in the cup, beating Leeds in a penalty shootout in the last round.

Salford City manager Neil Wood spoke ahead of the game, stressing the importance of rotation in this big fixture. With injuries plaguing a struggling side, Wood stated squad selection was “a juggling act.”

When asked about the opportunity the Burnley game provides, Wood stated:

“I think every game is important; we want to give as good of an account of ourselves as we can against Burnley. At the moment, because we have so many lads out, it is just a case of juggling the team around.”

Up next: A first-ever @Carabao_Cup Third Round tie for The Ammies as we host @BurnleyOfficial 🏆 pic.twitter.com/xgJ3uKgH3j

— Salford City FC (@SalfordCityFC) September 24, 2023

Burnley suffered a narrow loss to Manchester United on Saturday night, with many positive points despite the result.

Despite the big game, Wood expressed the importance of changing the team.

“If we went full strength again like we did Saturday, that’s three games in seven days for players, which is really difficult because you are not getting the maximum out of them in the third game in seven days. We will have to change it around a bit and manage some players’ minutes.

“We are picking the team with Saturday in mind.”

With potential new injuries to Ossama Ashley, Callum Hendry and Theo Vassell in the last game, Alongside concurrent injuries to Connor McLennan, Luke Garbutt, Luke Bolton and Liam Shephard to name a few, There is no question why he is exercising caution.

The Salford boys will certainly enter the game against Burnley as the underdogs, despite the home advantage. Given the previous historic win against Leeds, everyone is wondering if Neil Wood’s men can defy the odds for a second time.

Salford City vs. Burnley will kick off at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup.