Not for the first time in the last few weeks, this has the feel of a big day in the story of Bristol City’s season. Having moved level with the play-off places in midweek, the Robins have a chance to climb into the top-six against Hull City this afternoon.
Liam Manning’s side battled well to secure a 2-0 win over Millwall at The Den on Tuesday evening, with second-half goals from Zak Vyner and Harry Cornick enough to ensure all three points would be heading back along the M4 with the Reds. For only the second time this term, City have won two games on the spin, but the Championship schedule means they haven’t had too long to enjoy it.
Attention now turns to Ruben Selles’ Tigers. On paper, this should be a game that the Robins are looking forward to as Hull are in the midst of a difficult season and currently sit 19th in the Championship. Unfortunately, the second tier very rarely goes according to the script and with two wins in their last three matches, Selles’ side will almost certainly provide a difficult test for City.
It appears as though Manning is set to be boosted by the return of Nahki Wells. The Bermudian international was ruled out of the trip to The Den with what was understood to be a minor issue, however, the head coach was confident he would be fit and ready to feature this afternoon. Josh Campbell-Slowey on the other hand will miss out again having suffered a “strange” quad injury just minutes after he returned to first-team training.
Hopefully, the Reds will carry the momentum from their last two wins into this weekend. Although their schedule is busy in the run-up to the March international break, the next three games feel like a real opportunity for City to establish themselves as a real contender in the race for the play-offs.
With all of that in mind, here’s how we think Manning will start against Hull this afternoon…
Goalkeeper and defence
If there is one place Liam Manning doesn’t have a decision to make when naming his Bristol City team this afternoon it is between the posts. Max O’Leary has started all but one game of the Robins’ season in all competitions so far and the 27-year-old will almost certainly continue against Hull City unless he has picked up some freak injury or illness since the win over Millwall.
Ahead of him, our bet is that Manning will stand by the same back three that kept a clean sheet at The Den. Rob Dickie will be deployed in the heart of the backline with Zak Vyner to his left and George Tanner to his right in a system that allows the Reds to roll into a back four as and when required in possession.
There were some concerns about the lack of depth available at the back following Luke McNally’s season-ending ACL injury. Although those fears remain, both Dickie and Vyner in particular have really stepped up in the former Burnley man’s absence, with the latter in particular impressing in an unnatural role on the left side of the pitch.
With Josh Campbell-Slowey set to be sidelined for a “little while” it will likely be down to Haydon Roberts to offer an alternative option from the bench if or when required. The former Brighton man is a viable option in a back three, but at the moment, it feels as though Tanner is above him in the pecking order.
Midfield
Mark Sykes had a mixed evening against Millwall at The Den last time out. Although the Bristol City winger got into some promising positions early on, he struggled to deal with the attacking threat posed by Aidomo Emakhu after the break before being replaced by Haydon Roberts with 20 minutes to play.
At home, however, the Ireland international offers a real attacking threat from that position and because of that, we expect him to get the nod at right-wing back. Sykes will likely be given a greater licence to go forward than he had against Millwall while also being competent enough defensively to assist George Tanner when required.
On the opposite flank, our bet is Cam Pring will continue at left-wing back, as long as his body can deal with the quick turnaround between games. The 27-year-old was superb against the Lions as he picked up an assist on his first start since New Year’s Day but did go to ground with cramp repeatedly in the second half. If he does start, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him withdrawn around the hour mark, particularly as City have another quick turnaround before facing Sheffield United.
Between the two wing-backs, it is hard to look past a midfield combination of Jason Knight and Max Bird. Both players are quickly becoming two of the most reliable players in Liam Manning’s squad at this moment in time and even when they’re not showcasing their skills at the top end of the pitch, they are making the Robins tick in the middle of the park.
Both Joe Williams and Marcus McGuane will offer a more defensive option from the bench. If the Reds manage to get ahead, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one, if not both, of them, thrown into the fold to help see the game out.
Attack and striker
There are few better headaches for a manager to have than an abundance of options in one position. While Bristol City’s defensive options are currently rather limited, Liam Manning has plenty of players to choose from in attacking midfield, all with very different skills.
One man who has made that position his own since arriving at Ashton Gate permanently last summer is Scott Twine. The former Burnley man is arguably Manning’s first name on the team sheet, when fit and will almost certainly continue as one of the two number 10s against Hull. His performance at The Den showed flashes of the quality we all know he possesses and his ability from dead ball situations could be crucial when attempting to break down the Tigers.
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When it comes to the other attacking midfielder, there is an argument that it is a toss-up between George Earthy and Anis Mehmeti for who partners Twine. Earthy impressed again against Millwall following his brace against Middlesbrough and arguably offers a more rounded presence in front of Jason Knight and Max Bird.
However, Mehmeti has played his best football at Ashton Gate this season and tends to get the nod ahead of Earthy when it comes to home games. He remains City’s top scorer and we think he will return to the fold this afternoon, particularly after he was rested for the entirety of Tuesday night’s game.
Ahead of the two number 10s, our bet is that Sinclair Armstrong will be handed his fifth consecutive start. The Ireland youth international caused the Millwall backline a whole host of problems in midweek and his pace and power have been crucial to the way in which City have played in recent weeks. Of course, he needs to add more goals to his game, but he has been worth so much more than that since returning from injury.
Hopefully, Nahki Wells will be able to return to the matchday squad and join Harry Cornick and Sam Bell in offering an alternative option from the bench having missed out at The Den last time out. If the Bermudian is named back among the substitutes, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him introduced in and around the hour mark.
Bristol City XI (3-4-2-1) Max O’Leary; Zak Vyner, Rob Dickie, George Tanner; Cam Pring, Max Bird, Jason Knight, Mark Sykes; Anis Mehmeti, Scott Twine; Sinclair Armstrong