Michael Appleton says his players will have to battle as they take on Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.
The boss praised Chairboys manager Gareth Ainsworth for what he has achieved at the club but believes that the Imps have the ability to get a result against one of the strongest teams in the division.
He said: “Gareth has done ever so well for Wycombe. The lads are about to face something that they haven’t faced this season as we know that they’re the most direct team in the league, but they do it really well and have a lot of experience.
“Once the ball is in the opposition’s half, we’ve got the ability to put the ball in the right areas. It’s going to be a really difficult game, one where we’ll have to stand up and match them. We have to be competitive and on top of that we have to show composure and play our own game.”
Imps centre-back Joe Walsh returned to the squad midweek after a lengthy injury and Appleton now hopes to keep him fit for the remainder of the season.
He aadded: “I think with the balance he gives us you can see how important he is to the team. He is capable of travelling and using space with the ball, but first and foremost he is an aggressive defender. When his name is on the team sheet, I think the other players respond to that.”
“That’s his first 90 minutes for a long time so we have got to be ultra-careful with him and we want to try and manage him between now and the end of the season to try and get as many games into him as possible.”
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