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The Lurgan Blues are aiming to pick up their first league points of the season at Mourneview Park after suffering eight straight defeats. McLaughlin’s weekend options could be dictated on if several players have recovered from cases of heavy colds and flu, but he insists his side will be competitive regardless of who takes to the field. “It is not clear, at the moment, who will be fit,” he said on the club’s website. “We will make an assessment on Saturday morning. "But whatever happens, we will put a competitive team on the pitch.” Crusaders sit three positions above Glenavon after a mixed start to their own season, losing five of eight matches alongside picking up victories over Bangor and Dungannon Swifts. They’re coming off a 1-1 draw with Ballymena United last weekend and while acknowledging the Crues’ style of play has changed under Declan Caddell, McLaughlin is expecting a tough test. “They have lost a lot of household names and have brought in a number of new faces,” he added. “Declan Caddell, a young manager, has put his stamp on the squad. "He is probably a bit disappointed with results so far but that doesn’t mean that they will be anything other than tough opponents. "The Crues, under Stephen Baxter, played a particular way and had a lot of success. The style has changed. They are now playing more football and trying to pass the ball through the thirds. Although they are in transition, we will need to be at our best to get a positive result.” Glenavon have faced a testing fixture schedule, coming up against six of last season’s top-seven across consecutive weeks, including the top-two – Linfield and Larne – back-to-back. They’ve also taken on reigning Irish Cup champions Dungannon Swifts, unbeaten league leaders Glentoran and much-fancied Coleraine. “Those are tough opponents,” said McLaughlin. “They all have ambitions to either win the league or at minimum qualify for Europe. "We are a young side. Obviously, we would like to have scored more goals and picked up more points. Now we have a run of matches against clubs which are likely to be competing in the bottom half of the table. It is an opportunity for us to turn the corner.”
