Wigan Athletic chief makes 'strongest possible' pledge ahead of Carlisle United FA Cup trip

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Shaun Maloney has pledged to send out his 'strongest team possible' to ensure Wigan Athletic don't come an FA Cup cropper at League Two strugglers Carlisle United.

Latics, the 2013 winners, face the long trip up to Cumbria, looking to arrest a recent slump that's seen them pick up only one point from the last three matches in League One.

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Prior to that, Latics had been unbeaten in seven matches, keeping a magnificent seven clean sheets, before being knocked off track following the most recent international break.

Shaun Maloney is taking nothing for granted as Latics travel to Carlisle this weekend in the first round of the FA CupShaun Maloney is taking nothing for granted as Latics travel to Carlisle this weekend in the first round of the FA Cup
Shaun Maloney is taking nothing for granted as Latics travel to Carlisle this weekend in the first round of the FA Cup

And Maloney - who provided the corner at Wembley for Ben Watson to head home the winner against Manchester City - sees the cup-tie as an ideal opportunity to kickstart their league form.

"This isn't a game to be making loads of changes," he said. "If there's something specific I want to change, or tactical from (Monday's game at) Blackpool, then I will do that.

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"But we'll be putting out our strongest team possible...one that I think will give us the best chance to win the game."

Defender Luke Chambers and winger Callum McManaman - star man on the club's greatest ever day 12 seasons ago - remain on the sidelines, but there was better news concerning midfielders Jensen Weir and Baba Adeeko.

"Jensen has trained on Thursday so he'll be in the squad for Saturday," revealed the Latics boss. "Baba has trained as well but he's a bit more touch and go."

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Latics have already won at Carlisle this term to remain on the Wembley trail, thanks to a comfortable 2-0 victory in the group stages of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.

Both sides made numerous changes that night, and Maloney is not going to be reading anything into what happened last month.

"What I do know is it will be nothing like the game in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy," he said. "I actually really like the atmosphere at Carlisle that they generate in their stadium.

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"It's a really old school stadium, and when they have the momentum, it's a great place to play football, and there'll be a proper cup-tie atmosphere."

Maloney also admitted the 'magic of the cup' is something that will be tangible in the air come 3pm on Saturday.

"I've always liked the history of the FA Cup, going back long before we won it, when I was a kid growing up in Aberdeen," he said.

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"Some of my earliest memories of football are from the English FA Cup, and it is a special competition to be involved in again.

"In terms of Saturday's game, it does feel very similar to every other game we play, in terms of preparation.

"But I know that, once the game starts, the crowd will be different, intensity will be completely different, because you know that whether or not you progress depends on the result of the game.

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"This competition brings out a different side in players, and we'll be going all out to win the game."

Latics have added incentive to negotiate the banana skins of the opening two rounds of the FA Cip, having drawn Manchester United in round three last term - which was worth hundreds of thousands of pounds to the club.

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