It’s matchday again. After a frustrating trip across the Severn Bridge to face Cardiff City last weekend, Bristol City welcome Middlesbrough to Ashton Gate as they look to climb into the top six, even if only for a day or so.
Liam Manning’s side will be keen to put last weekend’s draw against the Bluebirds behind them as while they did come away from South Wales with a point, they will feel it really should have been three. However, Boro are unlikely to roll over easily as they look to end their own recent run of poor form.
Michael Carrick’s side haven’t quite hit the heights expected of them so far this season. While they have a game in hand on the teams in and around them in the race for the play-offs, they currently sit 11th in the Championship and have lost each of their last four games. Last time out, they were beaten by Watford at the Riverside Stadium so they are heading to the West Country with a point to prove.
Manning will have a reasonably different squad of players to pick from this weekend, for both good and bad reasons. Joe Williams is back from suspension while Cam Pring is in contention once again, but Ross McCrorie is due to be sidelined for the foreseeable future having limped off in the second half at Cardiff.
While the lack of a midweek game will have provided the majority of the playing squad with more recovery and training time, it has also made it even more difficult to predict just what the Robins boss might do this evening.
Even with that in mind, we’re going to give it a go so here’s how we think City will start against Middlesbrough tonight at Ashton Gate…
Goalkeeper and defence
While there are numerous aspects of this team that are hard to predict given the injuries Bristol City have picked up in recent weeks, we are as sure as we can be that Max O’Leary will again continue between the posts. For the most part, he had a good game in South Wales last weekend and would have been deserving of a clean sheet.
Ahead of him, it isn’t clear whether or not Liam Manning will start with a back three or a back four as he has rotated between the two systems in the last couple of games. Our bet is that he will start with the three that have served him well at Ashton Gate in recent months, but include players that allow him to roll into a flat back four in possession.
Rob Dickie and Zak Vyner will continue in the middle and on the right of the defensive line respectively and we expect Haydon Roberts to get the nod at left centre-back. Yes, the former Derby County loanee was caught napping for Cardiff’s leveller last week but with Luke McNally’s season over, Cam Pring only just returning from injury and Josh Campbell-Slowey not yet back in group training, he feels like the only natural fit on the left side of defence.
Of course, George Tanner could get the nod ahead of Roberts and Vyner could start on the left instead, but we think the former Manchester United academy graduate could be needed in a different role now that Ross McCrorie is back on the treatment table.
Midfield
With the blow of Ross McCrorie being ruled out for the best part of six weeks, Bristol City are going to have to mix things up at wing-back. The Scotsman has played on both the right and left flank in recent weeks, providing a strong presence out of possession and a direct style when on the ball.
George Tanner was the man to replace him in South Wales when he suffered the hamstring injury against Cardiff and our bet is the 25-year-old will start his first game in almost a month against Middlesborough. Tanner has been working on the attacking side of his game this term so can provide an outlet from the right flank and his defensive ability will allow him to start deeper as a pseudo right-back if the Robins decide to roll into a 4-4-2 as they did against Cardiff last weekend.
On the opposing wing, most supporters would be keen to see one of Cam Pring or Elijah Morrison start in McCrorie’s absence. There is every chance the former will return to the fold after Liam Manning confirmed he would be in contention this weekend, but City may opt to manage his return carefully given the amount of reoccurring hamstring issues they’ve had so far this season.
Because of that, we think Mark Sykes will continue on that flank as he did against Cardiff. Manning insisted his removal at half-time last weekend was just to provide the Reds with more energy and like many others in this side, the Ireland international allows the Robins’ head coach to change the formation on the fly.
Between the two wing-backs, our bet is that Max Bird and Jason Knight will continue at the heart of midfield. Joe Williams could well get the nod now that he has served his suspension and Manning did praise the former Wigan man’s efforts in training this week, but we think he will be reluctant to break up his regular partnership in the middle of the park.
Attack and striker
Before reading further, this is a prediction of how we think Liam Manning will opt to start this evening, not our own opinion or what supporters want to see.
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With that caveat out of the way, recent history suggests that Anis Mehmeti and Scott Twine will likely start again in attacking midfield. The former deserves to keep his place as he was excellent against Stoke City just last week and has shown that he is more than capable of creating a goal out of nothing, a trait not many of this current Bristol City side have.
Twine’s inclusion would likely be a greater point of contention, however. The attacking midfielder hasn’t been at his best recently and was incredibly quiet before being withdrawn at half-time against Cardiff City. But, when he’s fit, he starts games.
The former Burnley man has been included in each of the Robins’ last 13 starting line-ups in all competitions and remained in the team after frustrating showings against the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United. Manning could surprise us and opt to switch things up, but it would be unexpected.
That does mean that Yu Hirakawa will likely have to settle for a place on the bench. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get the nod on either wing or as one of the number 10s after his great cameo against the Bluebirds but it will just come down to how and where he fits into the system.
Ahead of the two attacking midfielders, it will be a straight shootout between Nahki Wells and Sinclair Armstrong for the number nine shirt. Although the latter has been excellent in recent weeks, he has started both of the Reds’ last two matches and because of that, our bet is Wells will be given the nod instead. He remains City’s best finisher and his work out of possession could well be crucial against a Boro side that has made a fair few errors at the back this season.
Bristol City XI (3-4-2-1): Max O’Leary; Haydon Roberts, Rob Dickie, Zak Vyner; Mark Sykes, Jason Knight, Max Bird, George Tanner; Anis Mehmeti, Scott Twine; Nahki Wells