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"I have been asked a few questions this week about what formation the team will be playing and all I can tell you is that we will always play a back four. The team for Saturday will be along the normal lines because it presents the first opportunity for me to see the players in a match situation and no doubt we will learn a lot about them.
"Phil Smith will start in goal on Saturday with Andy Lonergan unavailable, so that gives Phil a chance to show me what he can do. 'Peaky' (Lee Peacock) has been struggling this week with a virus but we will wait and see how he feels before deciding on Saturday. Jamie Vincent missed training on Thursday with a hamstring injury too so that's another situation for us to monitor."
Meanwhile Robins defender Andy Nicholas told The Swindon Advertiser :
"We're not going into Saturday's game thinking we are the underdogs. Carlisle are doing quite well in League One and it would be nice to put in a good performance against them to show that we can compete at that level. In seasons gone by, teams that have gone up from League Two have generally done well and been strong in League One.
"Most of the players here have played at that level at some stage and shown they can do it. Some of the weaker teams (in League Two) are a lot weaker than what you get in League One but generally there's not much in it. The game remains the same - it's still 11 against 11, but you get a couple of players with a little bit more quality in the higher division and that can be the difference."
"He (Paul Sturrock) has not given anything away on team selection. He's been working on shape, using two wingers and things like that. He's not named his team yet and that's kept things really competitive in training. Training's been brilliant. He's really setting out what he expects of us and how he wants us to play.
"He wants the ball wide, with crosses coming in, he wants the midfielders to know when the are going to go and when they are going to stay, and what position the wingers need to be in. Training has been good and fresh - people have got an extra yard in their stride just because there's a new manager."
United's dreadful form on the road, which has seen them fail to win on their travels in their last 11 games, will be even more tested against a Swindon side who are fourth in League Two and have only lost three times at home all season, although two of those defeats have come in their last two matches, 1-0 against Lincoln and then 2-1 versus Hereford.
Carlisle's record in Wiltshire is hardly inspiring as they have never won at Swindon in fourteen attempts, although the Robins have only been victorious in six of the matches, a hefty eight games ending in draws. The last time the two sides met at the County Ground was back in the 1995-96 season in Division Two (third tier) with the home side running out 2-1 winners courtesy of goals from Wayne Allison and Peter Thorne, the Cumbrians sole reply coming from Rory Delap.
For a complete history of matches played between the teams click here
One-time United hero and Swindon top-scorer Lee Peacock could miss the match after suffering from a virus and headaches all week, while defender Jamie Vincent may not be involved due to a hamstring strain. Phil Smith will play in goal as Preston do not want on-loan keeper Andy Lonergan to become cup-tied, but Curtis Weston is available after missing last week's defeat against Hereford through suspension.
New signing Sofiane Zaaboub will be available for selection after receiving international clearance and Robins boss Sturrock has confirmed he will start on the bench. One surprise inclusion in the squad to make his first-team debut could be striker Lukas Jutkiewicz who scored a hat-trick for the youth-team in their 6-0 FA Youth Cup demolition of Swansea City on Tuesday night.
The referee for tomorrow's match is Russell Booth from Mansfield, and he will be assisted down the lines by Oliver Langford from the West Midlands and Kevin Pike from Dorset, meanwhile the fourth official will be Eamonn Smith from Surrey.