Bristol City predicted team vs Blackburn Rovers: Manning to run the changes after Derby defeat

-Credit: (Image: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
-Credit: (Image: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)


Bristol City are back in action today as they make the long trip north to face high-flying fifth-placed outfit Blackburn Rovers.

It’s a contest Liam Manning and his men will be chomping at the bit to get at after their disappointing and uncharacteristic 3-0 thrashing by Derby County a fortnight ago. Despite an almost dominant first half against the Championship new-boys, the Robins collapsed in the second period and walked away from Pride Park with their first league defeat of the campaign.

Although the result last time out was far from the levels seen under Manning in the Ashton Gate hotseat, City had made a solid start to the Championship campaign. A 4-3 victory over Millwall the pick of the performances along with 1-1 draws against Hull City and Coventry City respectively.

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With City returning to league business, Manning described the stoppage in the season as having its pros and cons but ultimately was pleased to have two uninterrupted weeks of training with his new-look squad.

And one player who would’ve enjoyed the break is Luke McNally, who arrived at BS3 on deadline day from Burnley. Although the defender was named in the squad at Pride Park, he was an unused substitute but will certainly be in the running to even start against Blackburn.

Manning also announced earlier in the week that centre-back Rob Atkinson could be in contention to return to the squad after his injury nightmare. The 26-year-old hasn’t featured for the Robins for more than 19 months due to ACL and groin issues. The City boss is mindful over Atkinson’s inclusion given his recent history.

So how do we believe the Robins will line-up against fifth-placed Blackburn?

Goalkeeper and defenders

I don’t think there’s anyone who can trouble Max O’Leary in the City goal. The talented shot-stopper has played every minute in the Championship this term for Manning’s men. There’s no questioning his ability despite the 3-0 defeat last time out and will be in search for his first clean sheet of the campaign.

Ahead of him, three of the four players in the Robins’ defence has started every league game of the season to date. George Tanner and Cameron Pring remain first choice options at right-back and left-back respectively and should keep their place in the side.

But it’s at the heart of the backline which will the biggest talking point going into the fixture. Kal Naismith impressed as a substitute replacing the injured Rob Dickie in the 4-3 win against Millwall. But with Manning looking to avoid a similar result than that against Derby, McNally could be brought in to partner Zak Vyner and make his debut following his deadline-day switch.

Despite looking to make his long-awaited return from injury, it still could be too soon for a starting spot for Atkinson but he could be in contention to stake a claim for a place on the bench.

Midfielders

The midfield three of Jason Knight, Joe Williams and Max Bird is yet to be tinkered with by Manning. The trio have started the opening four league games of the campaign to date, with the latter operating in more of a number 10 role behind the striker in recent outings.

Given the nature of the defeat to Derby, it will be interesting to see whether the City boss will be open to changing his favoured midfield three.

One player who could be ready to pounce on a starting spot will be Anis Mehmeti. The 23-year-old scored in his last league start and has come off the bench in the Robins’ previous two outings. He could be the man to be given the nod should Manning ring the midfield changes.

Arguably one of the standout signings of the summer at Ashton Gate was Scott Twine's arrival from Burnley on a permanent deal. After scoring off the bench on debut against Millwall, the 25-year-old has started the previous two games - although failed to register a goal. He’ll be one Manning will turn too to strike an edge over Blackburn. Mark Sykes is likely to get the nod on the right-hand side.

Attack

Sinclair Armstrong has returned from international duty with the Republic of Ireland under-21s, where he started both games against Turkey U21 and Latvia U21 and netted against the latter.

The 21-year-old has started all four games for the Robins since his big move from QPR in the summer for a fee just under £2m. It remains to be seen when Manning will hand Fally Mayulu his full league debut after appearing as a substitute in all four Championship appearances. The raw talent, though, has netted on two league occasions so far and will offer plenty of threat if he was given the chance to lead the line at Ewood Park

Predicted Bristol City line-up (4-2-3-1): Max O’Leary; George Tanner, Zak Vyner, Luke McNally, Cameron Pring; Joe Williams, Jason Knight; Mark Sykes, Anis Mehmeti, Scott Twine; Sinclair Armstrong

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