Rosler warns of Basingstoke threat

Brentford manager Uwe Rosler has told his players that they cannot afford to underestimate Basingstoke on Saturday.

The Conference South outfit will head to Griffin Park hoping to cause an FA Cup upset and reach the second round.

And former Manchester City star Rosler insists his team will come unstuck if they take their non-League opponents lightly.

He warned: “I’ve followed English football long enough to know you can take nothing for granted in cup competitions here in England. Basingstoke will be fighting like hell and we can’t underestimate them.

“We are a League One club and we have a responsibility to show that. We have to be very professional from the first minute to the last.

“I think when you’re going into a game like this with the right mental attitude you’ll win these games. But when you think you can win it at 80%, most of the time you will struggle and then you can have a hell of a 90 minutes.

“We definitely want to go further. We want to stay in the FA Cup for as long as we can. It is very important for us.”

Rosler has Leon Legge available again and is considering giving him his first start since August.

The defender, who was sidelined by a hamstring problem, came on as a second-half substitute against Bournemouth in midweek.

“Maybe I’ll start with him and see how long he can last. Each game he plays will help him get his best form back,” said Rosler.

The match will be refereed by Japanese official Masaaki Toma, who will become the first non-Briton to take charge of an FA Cup fixture.

He is in the UK as part of a referee exchange programme.