Well aware that a number of his squad missed out on large chunks of pre-season, Bruce has hinted at changing things around for the clash at Ewood Park.
“It’s always disappointing for a player to miss a big chunk of pre-season,” said Bruce.
“The one thing you want to do is get through six weeks of work and feel as fit as you can. What you don’t want to do is lose three weeks and play catch-up. Unfortunately, that has happened to five or six of our lads.
“Thankfully we’re getting players back now and we’re starting to resemble a squad. If you look at the bench we had on Saturday, it won us the game with the substitutions we made. It’s fantastic when you can look around and see you’ve got some quality on the bench.
“In terms of Wednesday, I think we will need to change slightly in terms of personnel. We were very open on Saturday and it was a game of football. Going to Blackburn on a Wednesday night, we need to be physically ready for the challenge that they’re going to throw at us.
“We’ll look at what we’ve got and pick a team that’s fresh enough and physical enough to match what Blackburn will throw at us.”
Jay Simpson is one player who has played himself into Bruce’s plans after emerging from the bench to score against Brighton at the weekend.
With Matty Fryatt set to miss out once again as City await a clear diagnosis on his Achilles problem, Simpson will hope he has done enough to force himself into the starting eleven.
“I was delighted for Jay,” added Bruce.
“He’s looked bright and sharp in pre-season. On Saturday, he came off the bench to score a goal and everybody is talking about him again.
“There was a little spring in his step at training on Monday morning and he’s put the seed of thought in my mind.”
The likes of Corry Evans, Paul McShane and Alex Bruce may also come into the starting equation at Ewood Park.