Under-pressure West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley will leave nothing to chance in Wednesday's Carling Cup second round clash with League Two minnows Macclesfield Town.

The Irons boss is planning to field a full first-team – minus his ten injured and suspended players – for the visit of the Silkmen to Upton Park.

Curbishley adopted a similar approach to last season's competition, when the Hammers reached the quarter-finals before being beaten by a late goal from Everton striker Yakubu.

The Irons' run also saw Craig Bellamy, Kieron Dyer and Danny Gabbidon go down with long-term injuries – Dyer and Gabbidon have not played a first-team game this year – but the manager is adamant that the Carling Cup is high on his list of priorities.

“We've got to attack the cups, as has anyone outside the top-four, because we know it's going to be won by a Premier League side,” insisted Curbishley.

“It's also a route into Europe and last year we got to the quarter-finals and got done in the last-minute by Everton, so who knows what could have happened?

“I've always attacked the cups and also, coming after the weekend's defeat, it's another game for us to get out there.

“I'm not going to change too much of the team that played at Man City.

“I'm pleased we've got a home draw so I'm looking forward to getting back out there, winning a game and then looking towards the weekend.”

One man who could return to the starting line-up is Northern Ireland left-back George McCartney, who has yet to play this season due to a combination of a hamstring injury and a bout of pneumonia.

“George McCartney has to have some sort of football,” the boss confirmed.

“He's been in full training but his problem was that he got himself back and then he was ill for three weeks and couldn't shake it off.

“He's overcoming that at the moment so the injury is ok but he hasn't played a pre-season game.

“We'll have to see if he gets any football on Wednesday night or Saturday but I think it's more likely to be on Wednesday.”

Captain Lucas Neill has been filling-in at left-back in McCartney's absence so far this term, but the Australian's lack of pace was ruthlessly exposed in Sunday's defeat at Eastlands.

“We could do with him and Jon Spector back,” Curbishley added.

“People forget Jon Spector played 20-odd games last season and the last thing we could have done with was having George out and Jon out at the same time.

“That's resulted in Lucas Neill having to play at left-back.

“We'll get George back and it will give us a bit of pace down that side.”

Curbishley also confirmed that first-choice goalkeeper Robert Green would line-up against Macclesfield, stating that back-up Jan Lastuvka, who joined the club from Shakhtar Donetsk last month, was not yet ready for a first-team start.

Midfielder Mark Noble is suspended after being sent-off at Manchester City.

West Ham United: (from) Green, Lastuvka, Neill, McCartney, Widdowson, Upson, Davenport, Spence, Eyjolfsson, Mullins, Parker, Behrami, Bowyer, Faubert, Etherington, Boa Morte, Reid, Ashton, Sears, Hines.

[Guardian-Series]

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