Bruce takes his side to Brisbane Road for their second-round fixture on Tuesday, before they visit the Etihad Stadium to face Manuel Pellegrini's side in the Premier League four days later.
The 52-year-old insists he is taking the League Cup seriously, but he is keen to avoid losing key personnel ahead of their encounter with last season's top-flight runners-up.
"We have a really big match coming up against Manchester City at the weekend so we really don't want any injuries," the manager said.
"That's not to say we are going to hold the competition in any disrespect, but that's the way we are going to do it, so hopefully we will be good enough.
"We want to progress in the cup so we will treat it like we should do, but it gives me the ability to change things around a bit."
Hull began life back in the Premier League with a 2-0 loss away to Chelsea, but got their first points of the season with a 1-0 victory over Norwich City at The KC Stadium on Saturday.
