Blackpool freshen up for new challenge at Fleetwood Town

Blackpool travel to Highbury for the second time in four days to face off against Joey Barton’s side at the first knockout stage (7.45pm).

Matty Virtue is expected to be among the changes for Pool – a welcome boost for a player out injured since the opening game of the season at Stoke City in the Carabao Cup – but the midfielder won’t be the only fresh face.

Critchley said: “It will be a different type of game, I’d have thought. We’ll make changes and I’d imagine that Fleetwood would make changes as well.

“If you look at their teams they’ve played in the competition so far, they’ve made changes from the team that started in the league and so have we.

“I’d expect it to be a different group of players on the pitch, therefore it would make it a different game.

“It will bring a bit of freshness to the game, something different, loads of different players.

“It fills me with some excitement and intrigue to see how some of our players play.

“We’re in a busy period and we’ve still got a busy period to get through.”

With the Papa John’s Trophy not prominent on many clubs’ radar, it presents an opportunity for players not currently in the starting XI to prove themselves.

That doesn’t mean the Tangerines don’t want to win, though, and Critchley added: “For some players it will be an opportunity they deserve.

“Sometimes leaving players out is the hardest part of the job. Sometimes you can’t give a reason for that and they’ve been training really well.

“Some have played recently so they’ll deserve an opportunity to go and play tonight.

“We prepare for every game the same and the team that takes to the pitch against Fleetwood will be one we think can win the game.

“We want to win, we want to progress, we want to go as far as we can in all of the competitions because you’re trying to bring that consistency in the players’ mentality.

“They know that they have to come in every day and give it their all, and we don’t take our foot off the gas at any point.

“That’s right throughout the squad. From number one right through to number 25, they know there is an opportunity to play but only if they’re training well and playing well.”

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