We’re on the road again. After a midweek without a Bristol City game, the Robins return to Championship action with a trip to The Kassam Stadium to face Oxford United.
Liam Manning’s Reds are looking to end a seven-match winless run away from Ashton Gate, with their last win on the road coming against Norwich City in November. Tomorrow they meet Gary Rowett’s side, who have not lost at home under his management. Easy enough, right?
After a strong start to the campaign under Des Buckingham, the U’s sacked Manning’s replacement in December following a torrid run of form. Since then, they have turned a corner under the management of Rowett and an eight-match unbeaten run in the Championship has helped them climb nine points away from the relegation zone.
The Robins will have basically the same squad to pick from as they did against Blackburn Rovers last time out. Cam Pring and Josh Campbell-Slowey are still a few weeks away from returning from injury while both Kal Naismith and Fally Mayulu have completed loan moves to Luton Town and Sturm Graz in the last week.
With no midweek game on the agenda ahead of next weekend’s Anglo-Welsh clash with Swansea City, Manning and his staff shouldn’t have to worry too much about managing his players’ minutes this weekend.
With that in mind, here’s how we think City will start against Oxford United on Saturday afternoon…
Goalkeeper and defence
Max O’Leary has played every minute of the Championship season so far and there has been little to suggest that will change this weekend. The academy graduate will almost certainly start between the posts against the U’s.
Ahead of him, Manning’s options are rather limited, particularly following Kal Naismith’s loan move to Kenilworth Road. Even if the Scotsman was still a City player, we’d be surprised if he had got the nod ahead of any of Luke McNally, Rob Dickie or Zak Vyner in the Reds’ back three.
McNally has been incredibly consistent since making the move from Burnley in the summer transfer window. While both Dickie and Vyner haven’t been at their consistent best in recent weeks, they are reliable at the back and tend to start whenever they’re fit and available.
With Josh Campbell-Slowey still sidelined and Cam Pring a few weeks away from match fitness, the only alternative would be to play one of George Tanner, Ross McCrorie or Haydon Roberts out of position. Manning could surprise us all and do exactly that, but our bet is he’ll stand by the backline that’s served him well this term.
Midfield
Barring the absent Cam Pring, Bristol City are well-stocked when it comes to wing-backs currently. Haydon Roberts, George Tanner, Ross McCrorie, Mark Sykes and Elijah Morrison are all vying for a starting spot out wide ahead of the lunchtime clash at The Kassam Stadium.
On the right, we think it will be Sykes who gets the nod from Manning. The Irishman was excellent in the Robins’ last away game against Sheffield Wednesday, with his two crosses creating both of the Reds’ goals at Hillsborough and as a result, he should be rewarded with another start. With a week gap since the win over Blackburn, he should be fresh enough to start again.
On the opposite flank, we’ve backed McCrorie to start ahead of Roberts. While the Scotland international is naturally a right-sided player, he has featured on the left wing on several occasions this season and for the most part has provided an attacking threat and a physical presence in defence. Given Oxford’s recent home form, his work out of possession could be crucial to getting a result against Rowett’s side.
That will mean both Roberts and Tanner can be introduced from the bench if Manning feels he needs to freshen things up out wide. With another blank mid-week around the corner, the 39-year-old can take one or two more risks with his team selection.
Between the two wing-backs, our bet is that Jason Knight and Max Bird will continue as City’s midfield pairing, with Joe Williams and Marcus McGuane on the bench. Knight and Bird have been ever-presents so far this season and while they may not have hit the same heights they did over the festive period in recent weeks, they are key to the way Manning wants to play.
Yes, Williams made an impressive impact off of the bench against Blackburn, but he admitted in his pre-match press conference that he was not yet ready for a full 90 minutes. There is no reason to throw him back in until he is 100 per cent fit and unlikely to risk a new injury.
Attack and striker
Of course, Liam Manning could surprise us all this afternoon and divert away from the attacking trio that he has stood by for much of the season, but our bet is that Scott Twine and Anis Mehmeti will again start together just behind Nahki Wells.
Twine was quiet against both Coventry City and Sheffield Wednesday, but he was brilliant against Blackburn. While his free-kick stole the headlines, his general display was just as impressive as he played an important role with and without the ball to help the Robins secure all three points. Now that he has put together a run of consecutive games without injury, he feels as close to an automatic starter as you get at this level.
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Mehmeti similarly hasn’t been quite at his free-flowing best in recent weeks, but it does feel as though the Albanian is due a goal. He remains the Reds’ top scorer with nine this season and while his last striker came all the way on New Year’s Day against Plymouth, he has the quality to turn a game on its head in an instant.
Perhaps Yu Hirakawa or George Earthy could start instead as the number 10 but the former hasn’t looked particularly comfortable in the more central position and the latter hasn’t started a game so far in 2025 so it feels unlikely.
Up front, our bet is that Wells gets the nod over Sinclair Armstrong and Sam Bell. While Armstrong was a handful against Blackburn last weekend, Wells has two goals in his last two games and remains the best finisher in Manning’s squad. Having had a week’s rest, the 34-year-old should be more than ready to return to the starting line-up.
After Fally Mayulu’s loan exit, it will be down to Armstrong and Bell to offer something different when Manning decides the time is right to withdraw Wells from the action.
Bristol City XI (3-4-2-1): Max O’Leary; Luke McNally, Rob Dickie, Zak Vyner; Ross McCrorie, Jason Knight, Max Bird, Mark Sykes; Anis Mehmeti, Scott Twine; Nahki Wells