Scunthorpe defender Miguel Llera believes his side have “nothing to fear” from their upcoming fixture against the in-form Bristol City.
The centre-back told The Iron Player that the team are full of confidence having gone seven games unbeaten in the league.Bristol City are currently second in League One, behind leaders Swindon on goal difference, and Llera is relishing the challenge of facing a side so close to the top.
“I think it’s a good test for us in terms of promotion or the play-offs and we’re going to play with nothing to fear,” he said.
“If we can beat them it’s no more than three points but it’ll be a good confidence booster.”
The 35-year-old voiced his disappointment on exiting the FA Cup after the extra time loss to Chesterfield on Tuesday, but also stressed the importance of not losing momentum in the Iron’s league campaign.
He said: “It’s never a good thing to lose but we have to forget that and focus on the next game, which is against Bristol City - something I’m looking forward to.”
The Robins currently have Matt Smith in their ranks, a striker who has proved clinical of late. The Fulham loanee has scored five goals in six starts since arriving at Ashton Gate. Llera, who will be hoping to keep the 6ft 6 striker quiet on Saturday, feels the Iron back four can handle Steve Cotterill’s impressive attacking options.
“When you play a team at the top they’re obviously doing something right. Often, the difference between the top and bottom of this league are strikers, and Bristol City have got some good ones,” Llera said.
“But we’ve faced the likes of Chesterfield’s Eoin Doyle recently and managed well. We’re full of confidence we can keep a clean sheet on Saturday.”
Scunthorpe enjoyed an emphatic 4-1 victory away at Walsall last week, a result that has only added to the self-belief the squad currently has, according to Llera.
“We’re full of confidence after beating an impressive Walsall side last week, especially considering they’d just beaten Preston before playing us,” he said.
“However, the most important thing is getting points and we have a chance of grabbing three this Saturday.”
The Iron have pushed up the table since the appointment of Mark Robins, losing just one of their last twelve games, which has resulted in some talk of a place in the playoffs by the end of the season. Llera feels this sort of ambition amongst the fans can only be a good thing for the team.
“It’s great that fans are thinking of the playoffs,” he said.
“For us, it’s important that supporters look forward to watching us play, although we are simply taking it game by game. Everyone is training well and is feeling fit so we are prepared to face Bristol City on Saturday.”
See much more from Miguel Llera, Jordan Clarke and Mark Robins on The Iron Player.