As Liam Manning searches for a much-needed victory, Bristol City will host Marti Cifuentes and QPR at Ashton Gate on Saturday.
The Championship has been as unpredictable as ever as the season draws to a close, and few teams have more encapsulated that than Bristol City.
After losing badly to Portsmouth the previous weekend, the Robins faced Sunderland head-to-head at the Stadium of Light and were within minutes of winning a crucial three points against one of the top teams in the division.
Even though City has only won five of their previous games, there is a modicum of optimism around Ashton Gate before this midday matchup with QPR. It won’t be easy, but Liam Manning’s team has more than enough talent to win the last home game before Christmas and take all three points.
Manning will benefit from the return of Scott Twine and Ross McCrorie, both of whom are expected to play. However, Sinclair Armstrong will be out for a while as the former QPR forward was given his first start in two months against the Black Cats last time out.
The demanding match schedule combined with the desire for a victory may force Manning to make a few minor adjustments to the squad that performed well in the North East on Tuesday night, despite his reluctance to make major changes.
Goalkeeper and defence
With the exception of Patrick Roberts’ late equaliser, the Robins handled everything Sunderland threw at them in Tuesday night’s draw, making it one of their strongest defensive efforts of the season.
As a result, we believe Manning will continue to play the same back three that outperformed Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle in BS3 and impressed in the North East.
Rob Dickie, Luke McNally, and Zak Vyner will form a back three ahead of Max O’Leary, who will start between the posts after making an impression against Portsmouth and Sunderland. That defensive setup appeared much more stable in the second half at the Stadium of Light than the back four did in the first.
One advantage of having Vyner as one of the three center-backs is that Manning can quickly switch to a back four if he has to. It is impossible to overstate the academy graduate’s adaptability, especially at this point in the season when games are coming up quickly.
The midfield
Although we are including the wing-backs in this predicted team along with the midfielders, our prediction is that McCrorie will rejoin the team on the opposite flank and Cam Pring will remain on the left side.
The Scotland international was playing with a degree of consistency at left-back that made him undroppable when he was substituted in the first half of the Robins’ draw with Leeds United at Ashton Gate. Manning would be foolish to start someone out of position instead of McCrorie if he’s ready to start.
Max Bird, Jason Knight, and Marcus McGuane seem to be the two wing-backs that will start as the deeper duo in the middle of the park. We believe Manning will take advantage of the opportunity to rest Bird and maintain the collaboration between McGuane and Knight that was successful in the North East. Although the former Derby player has generally performed admirably since moving to Ashton Gate, his play has somewhat deteriorated in recent weeks, and after being substituted at halftime against the Black Cats, it seems like this weekend would be a good opportunity to give him some much-needed break.
The 23-year-old might start in a more advanced role instead, but it would be somewhat unexpected given Twine’s comeback and George Earthy’s strong play.
Attack and striker
McNally scored at the Stadium of Light, but since the victory over Argyle at the end of November, Bristol City’s offence hasn’t been able to settle into a rhythm.
Nevertheless, given that certain players are now still on the treatment table, it would be shocking to see Manning deviate too much from the lineups that have worked successfully for him thus far this season.
It’s highly likely that Anis Mehmeti will continue to be one of the two number tens. The Albanian international has been in great form so far this season and will be among the first names on the teamsheet if healthy, but he was unable to muster the moment of greatness to find a winner on Tuesday night.
Our prediction is that Twine will be selected over Yu Hirakawa, who will be benched, for the other attacking midfield position.
Although he has proven to be a more than good defender in prior games this season, the Japanese international struggled defensively against Regis Le Bris’ team and was substituted at halftime the last time out, so it would be surprising to see him start again.
Although Twine is somewhat of a polarising character among fans, he is Manning’s right-hand man and will most likely make a comeback to the starting lineup. The only question now is who he will replace, as he is shaken by the illness that kept him out of the last two games. Before being ruled out, he demonstrated the kind of impact he could have against Argyle, and if he feels well enough to start, he will play right away.
Armstrong’s injury has made the City manager’s decision much simpler at the top end of the pitch. If completely fit, the Irishman might have led the line against his old team, but Nahki Wells will take his place.
Although there is a remote possibility that Fally Mayulu will start from the beginning, Manning’s remarks during his pregame news conference indicate that the 22-year-old is still a long way from being the starting player every single week.
