Strap in because here we go again. After a weekend of twiddling our thumbs, Bristol City are back in action again as they travel to South East London to face Millwall and close the gap between themselves and the play-off places.
Liam Manning’s side will have enjoyed the rare break in their fixture schedule given the sheer amount of football they’ve played since the festive period, but that free weekend would have been made even sweeter by their win over Middlesbrough last time out. It may have only put them in the top six for a matter of hours, but it felt like a genuine statement of intent from the Robins.
What’s done is done however and attention now turns to what is certain to be a tough clash against a Millwall side who have proven tough to beat under Alex Neil. The Lions come into tonight’s game having lost only one of their last eight Championship matches, but they did exit the FA Cup at the hands of Crystal Palace at the weekend.
It seems as though Manning will have the same squad to pick from that got the job done against Boro. There were hopes Josh Campbell-Slowey may have been fit to feature having returned to first-team training last week, but Chris Hogg admitted, in his pre-match press conference, that the young defender was forced out of training on Thursday.
On paper, the rest should see City come into this game reinvigorated and energised. Unfortunately, football very rarely goes according to the script. The Robins will be eager to end their nine-match winless run on the road and kickstart a run of four games before the March international break with a win, but it is unlikely to be straightforward.
With that all in mind, here’s how we think City will start against Millwall at The Den tonight…
Goalkeeper and defence
Max O’Leary will have been disappointed to not have held Kelechi Iheanacho’s strike in the build-up to Tommy Conway’s opener against Middlesbrough last time out. It felt like the sort of effort the Bristol City stopper should have been able to keep hold of, but it was certainly not the sort of mistake that should see the academy graduate dropped, especially when Stefan Bajic hasn’t pulled up trees when he has featured for the Under-21s.
Ahead of him, Liam Manning isn’t exactly blessed with a wealth of options at the heart of the defence, but he does still have the players at his disposal to stick with the back three system that he has preferred in recent months. Our bet is that he will name the same defensive trio that started against Boro and it will therefore allow him to roll into a flat back four in possession.
Rob Dickie, who celebrated his 29th birthday yesterday, will start in the middle of defence with Zak Vyner to his left. While Vyner is naturally a right-sided player, he impressed on the opposite side of defence against Michael Carrick’s team and with Luke McNally sidelined, he may have to make that position his own between now and May.
On the right, we think George Tanner will start again. The former Carlisle man hasn’t found starts easy to come by since returning from injury, but against Middlesbrough he showed just how effective he can be in this system. Not only will he provide a solid defensive presence, but he will also allow City to roll into a back four as he is capable of joining in, in attack when required.
Midfield
While Bristol City are slightly short of options in some areas of the pitch currently, one place they now appear to have a wealth of players fighting for a starting role is at left-wing back. Cam Pring is again fit and available having returned from the bench against Middlesbrough last time out while both Haydon Roberts and Elijah Morrison are also candidates to start on that flank.
Our bet is that Pring will be handed his first start since New Year’s Day. Yes, Liam Manning has insisted the 26-year-old will need to be managed carefully but his introduction changed the game against Michael Carrick’s side and his pace and direct style have proven to be a crucial assets, both in and out of possession, in the past. On top of that, he will, like George Tanner, allow City to roll into a back four comfortably.
On the oppisite flank, Manning has a tough call to make with Yu Hirakawa and Mark Sykes seemingly the obvious candidates to start on the right wing. When he initially returned from injury, Sykes was electric from that flank he undoubtedly is one of the best crossers of the ball in this current squad. However, Hirakawa’s impact from the bench against both Boro and Cardiff in recent weeks has been excellent and should be rewarded with a start.
While both Manning and Chris Hogg have referenced the sheer amount of football the Japanese youth international has played over the last 18 months when discussing his progress, the gap between fixtures should stop that from being an issue this evening.
Between the two wide men, our bet is that Jason Knight and Max Bird will continue alongside one another. The former Derby County men have formed an excellent partnership so far this season and it would be a surprise if Manning were to break that up. Maybe Joe Williams’ physical style could see him given the nod but we think he’s more likely to feature from the bench.
Attack and striker
This is where this Bristol City team becomes harder to pick, particularly given the extended gap between games. One selection we are pretty confident will be correct however is that Scott Twine will start as one of the two attacking midfielders.
The former Burnley man very rarely misses out when he is fit and while some will question just how effective he has been in the last few weeks, he has this knack of producing something from nothing. Although he isn’t officially credited with the assist, his free-kick allowed George Earthy to score the winnner against Middlesbrough and he similarly picked out Mark Sykes in the lead-up to Anis Mehmeti’s opener against Stoke City.
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Alongside him, many fans will be hoping to see Earthy handed a first start since the draw with Oxford United last month after his brace, but we think it will be Anis Mehmeti who gets the nod again. While Earthy is certainly the man of the moment, Mehmeti has been more consistent over the course of the entire season and arguably carries the Robins’ biggest goal threat from open play.
Ahead of the two number 10s, it again feels like a straight shootout between Nahki Wells and Sinclair Armstrong. The latter has been given the nod in each of the Reds’ last four Championship games, playing some of his best football in City colours in that period and as a result, our bet is that he will again lead the line.
Armstrong’s pace and physical presence could prove to be crucial against a physical Millwall side. Everyone wants to see the Irishman get on the scoresheet for the first time since November but even if he doesn’t manage that, Manning will be hopeful he can wear down the Lions’ backline before throwing Wells into the mix in the closing exchanges.
Bristol City XI (3-4-2-1): Max O’Leary; Zak Vyner, Rob Dickie, George Tanner; Cam Pring, Max Bird, Jason Knight, Yu Hirakawa; Anis Mehmeti, Scott Twine; Sinclair Armstrong