Mark Robins wants his Sky Blues to play with “confidence” when they host Preston North End at St Andrew’s tomorrow afternoon.
City have won three league games on the spin heading into this weekend’s clash with the Lilywhites, having beaten Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium in midweek.
The manager is anticipating a tough clash at St Andrew’s tomorrow and wants his side to play with confidence and positivity just as they have done in their recent outings.
Robins said: “Preston are a really good side, they’re a tough side, they’re a physical side with quality, they’ve had big investment in there, Tom Bayliss went their a couple of years ago and he’s around the squad now which is a step forward for him.
“They’ve got some really good players there, we know it’s a really tough game, they’ve performed really well in midweek, they’ve had that extra day’s rest and they’re on a high at the moment as well.
“Preston have got some brilliant midfield players, they’ve got a really good squad, that was demonstrated by Liverpool taking one of their centre-halves in January, they’ve invested strongly but they also sell people and move people on and reinvest.
“They’ve got a rich talented group, we know it’s going to be a tough game, all the games are difficult at this level, we’ve got to go with that confidence and positivity that we’ve picked up over the last week, it’s been a brilliant week and we can look forward to these last three games.”
Robins also praised the attitude of his players, having lifted themselves 12 points clear of danger, and hopes his side can produce another good display against Preston.
“It’s down to recovery between the games, you look to try and see who looks fresh and who is feeling fresh, it’s not an exact science, but you gauge things over time and hopefully we can make the right decisions.
“The players always pick the team by their performances and what they’re doing and about how they carry themselves on a daily basis, they’ve all deserved to play because they’ve all put in a huge shift all season, not just the last week.
“It’s been a brilliant week, it gives us some markers moving forward hopefully, the weather plays a part, the weather has changed, it’s started to become really warm and hopefully we can go and play and have a really good performance.”