Iain Brunskill backs Bolton to impress against Man City

Facing off against Manchester City at City’s Academy Stadium, Bolton beat Manchester United in the semi-finals last season to reach this stage of the competition.

And having enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season, Brunskill has called on the side to deliver and have no regrets come the final whistle.

“With the amount of games we’ve got, I tell the players all the time to never miss an opportunity to impress,” said Brunskill.

“This is a great opportunity to play against good players at a lovely stadium. We have nothing to lose and want to go out and enjoy the game. 

“The game will be different challenge for us compared to anything we’ve faced so far. We will prepare for it like a cup final because we should do – we don’t get these sort of opportunities very often. 

“We want to do it that bit differently to make sure the players are up for it, because ultimately, no matter what level you’re at, you work hard to get there. 

“They worked hard last year and put in an excellent performance against Manchester United. 

“They’ve worked hard to get there so let’s go and make it difficult for Manchester City and do ourselves justice.”

He continued: “Football is all about performing. You can train all week but you have to perform.  

“We faced Crystal Palace a couple of weeks ago – a really experienced team who had a number of first team players involved – and put in an excellent first half performance. 

“I spoke to some of the lads and pointed out how well they did against Bakary Sako, who has since gone on to score the winner in the Premier League against Aston Villa, then equalised against the champions, Chelsea. 

“That’s the level I expect from them because they’ve shown me they can do it. If they can do it in that game in a one-off basis, then they are capable of doing it whenever they take to the pitch.”