RYAN Nelsen has promised the Ewood Park faithful “we will be ready” as Blackburn Rovers’ Premier League preparations stepped up a gear in Italy.

The Rovers skipper played the second 45 minutes of their impressive 2-2 draw with AS Roma in Bolzano, Northern Italy, on Thursday night before declaring his confidence in their summer fitness regime.

Their pre-season campaign continues tonight in Croatia, with two 45 minute games against Hajduk Split and Nacional, with Nelsen backing the current regime to get the preparations spot on.

With big spenders Manchester City Rovers’ opening day visitors, Nelsen knows some tough challenges lie ahead but is confident the squad will be in the best possible shape.

He said: “We will be ready. There will be no excuses in that sense. Obviously the Premier League is the hardest league in the world.

“There are no guarantees you will win your games but the one thing you can guarantee is we will be prepared and we will be fit to give ourselves every chance come August 15.

“I pride myself on my fitness because that is something within your control. Players can go in and out of form but there is one that you can control and that is how fit you are.

“It is a no brainer, every player should think like that. Austria was brilliant for that and the rest of the pre-season will follow in a similar way.”

Manager Sam Allardyce is renowned for his meticulous pre-season planning, with no stone left unturned with regards diet, fitness, match sharpness and mental conditioning.

And, as Rovers look to banish memories of last season’s relegation struggles, Nelsen insists Allardyce is the man to turn around their fortunes.

Nelsen said: “The lads really bought into all the ideas the sports science staff were doing and the guys dropped the weight quick.

“They were getting fitter quicker and it was a really good, good week. You are already looking forward to August 15 now. When you are three quarters away from your fitness runs, you can’t wait for the season to start.

“The preparation we are doing though is good as well. I think everyone is enjoying the journey and looking forward to every day knowing we will be 100 per cent by the first game.

“It is fantastic under Sam. I think all players like it, no players like going into games unprepared and you can be sure we will be prepared come Manchester City. Under Sam’s management that is one thing he makes sure of. That is we will be prepared.

“We respect that because we know how important it is to be prepared and there is no way that won’t happen under Sam Allardyce.”

Italian triallist Christian Vieri was expected to meet up with the squad today but is unlikely to feature in tonight’s game due to lack of fitness.

After an unbeaten start to the summer, Nelsen insists though the results mean little at this stage of the season, as all focus is put into getting them ready for the bigger challenges ahead.

He said: “It is the match practice. It is getting the body used to a game situation. You can do all the running and training in the world but it doesn’t prepare you for an actual game.

“Only games can do that. The 45 minutes blow a few cobwebs away and you start getting used to your angles.

“It was disappointing for me to miss the Confederations Cup with a calf injury but it was probably a blessing in disguise. Maybe it was God telling me to rest.”