Blackpool take on Port Vale on this evening in the EFL Cup.

Steve Bruce states it’ll be important to get the balance right when picking his Blackpool team to take on Port Vale in the EFL Cup this evening.

The Seasiders have endured a difficult start to the League One campaign, losing to both Stevenage and Exeter City, and will be hoping a change of competition will transform their fortunes.

Bruce admits he will use the Valiants’ visit to Bloomfield Road to provide a number of players with minutes.

“It’s a time to play certain people who we think need to play but we’re mindful of the fact we need to get through in this cup competition,” he said.

“It’s not going to be easy, they’re a good side Port Vale - they’ve got momentum from getting promoted so it’ll be a tough ask.

“We’re going to have to get the balance right because we need to pick a team to win the match to get the season up and running.

“We’ve got two big difficult games but let’s look forward to them.”

‘We will genuinely get better’

Despite suffering a difficult start to the new season, Bruce believes his side will improve.

“I do believe we will genuinely get better, there’s been a hell of a lot of changes,” he added.

“I know it’s a bit strange for me to talk about it because I know there’s that many in the lower divisions - it seems to be constant, but players need a little bit of time to get used to the environment and how we play.

“The longer it goes on I’m sure they’ll only get better with time.”

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