Jaap Stam says some players in his squad need to get minutes under their belts as Reading prepare to host Swansea City on Tuesday night (8pm).
After victories over Gillingham and Millwall in the previous rounds, Royals now welcome Premier League opposition to the Mad Stad in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
And Stam admits he could look to rotate his side after Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Brentford and ahead of the visit from Hull City in the Championship this weekend.
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“Everbody wants to play this game,” said Stam.
“We know that because it’s a nice game to play.
“But we need to have a look at the squad and what is the best thing to do.
“Everybody needs to get minutes as well because if they need to come on in the league, then they need to be ready for it.
“No (it’s not a distraction). I’m looking forward to it.
“The further you go in the cup games, you play against better teams.
“For the players it’s always good to measure yourself against these players and show yourself.”
Swansea, who earned an impressive point against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley in the Premier League on Sunday, had a busy final week of the transfer window with the likes of Wilfried Bony and Euro 2016 winner Renato Sanches arriving.
And Stam is intrigued to see how his side can fare.
“Swansea are a good team,” said the Reading boss.
“They have changed their system a bit from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield, so we need to look at that.
“They are also a team that wants to have possession.
“It’s going to be interesting.”
Jordan Obita is in line for his first start of the season after coming off the bench at Brentford while John Swift could return.
However, Mo Barrow is not expected to be fit enough to face his former club due to a knee injury.