SAM Allardyce believes both his keepers could benefit from Ian Walker playing in goal against Besiktas.

The 33-year-old summer signing is set to get a rare piece of first team action in Istanbul.

Walker is being lined up to make his second appearance in a Wanderers shirt when the UEFA Cup group stage gets underway.

Allardyce has faith that Walker will be an efficient replacement for Jussi Jaaskelainen, but concedes he needs to give the former England international as many first team games as possible to keep him at the peak of his game.

Jaaskelainen is due a rest after playing every game bar one this season, the UEFA Cup qualifying tie against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Bulgaria when Walker was beaten only by a wonder strike.

Allardyce feels more comfortable with his goalkeeping department since Walker, who will be 34 in two weeks, arrived on a free transfer from Leicester City in the summer.

The manager says leaving Jaaskelainen out of the side is no reflection on the Finn's form, despite some criticism aimed at his regular keeper from the media after Saturday's second half mauling at Chelsea in which he had to pick the ball out of the net five times.

"Jussi slipped up on the first goal on Saturday but that is the only time he has slipped up this season," Allardyce said.

"He has been very good when we have needed him to be good.

"He has also been lucky as well because he has been unemployed a lot of the time this season because the players in front of him have been so good.

"We have to give Ian Walker as much practice in the first team as we can to make sure he is prepared for when we have to call upon him.

"We are faced with playing 55 games and Jussi is not going to play 55 games because of injury, suspension and squad rotation.

"No disrespect to Kevin Poole but if we needed to use him for more than one or two games he wouldn't have been fit to keep goal for too long.

"We have been dicing with death and we needed a goalkeeper with the quality of Ian Walker."