MARK Hughes believes Blackburn Rovers will be ready to sprint out of the traps on Saturday thanks to the Intertoto Cup.

The much-maligned competition has not only secured a route back into European football for Hughes and his side, but the Rovers boss is confident the two matches played against Lithuanian minnows FK Vetra will also act as a perfect springboard for the coming season.

While Premiership opponents have spent the summer entertaining various teams at home and abroad, Rovers have combined pre-season friendlies with the two competitive Intertoto Cup matches.

And Hughes is confident it will stand them in good stead come 3pm on Saturday at the Riverside, when they open their league account against Middlesbrough.

He said: "I think that will help us. I think the game against Huddersfield was maybe a little bit difficult after two competitive games and maybe the focus wasn't quite what it should have been.

"But against Preston the players understood the importance of getting a good workout and I think they showed the benefit of playing the two competitive games we've had already."

Taking into account the home and away ties against FK Vetra, Rovers have played six games over the summer, which included a match against Arminia Bielefeld on their tour of Germany.

And aside from the foot injury Bruno Berner suffered at the Galpharm Stadium against Huddersfield, his squad has come through it all relatively unscathed.

But Hughes believes he now has the numbers to cope with what the season has to throw at them.

He added: "People look at our squad and think it's really strong but that's because I've got numbers and everybody's fit.

"We all know that it's a 50/60 game season and we're going to lose players through injury and suspension. That always happens.

"So people have to be ready to come in and do a job, which I think with the strength we've got this year, we'll be able to achieve."