If there was any danger of a post-Manchester City comedown, then the prospect of a Severnside Derby is enough to create suitable levels of excitement, and hopefully euphoria, at Bristol City as the Robins return to Championship action with a short trip along the M4.
Tuesday night under the lights at Ashton Gate made for a special and memorable occasion but defeat proved of little consequence, given City’s status as huge underdogs and the relative importance of the FA Cup compared to the league campaign.
That certainly won’t be the case today as City will be looking to maintain their momentum in the Championship with the prospect of finishing the day in the top half of the table, while with a packed away end roaring them on, it makes the obligation to claim three points even greater.
Here’s how we think the Robins will line up ahead of the 12:30pm kick off at Cardiff City Stadium…
Goalkeeper and defence
The central part of this area picks itself: Max O’Leary is now firmly established at the club’s No1 and, if we ignore the three goals conceded against Manchester City, will be looking to build on last Saturday’s clean sheet against Hull City with, hopefully, another shutout in south Wales.
Zak Vyner and Tomas Kalas will be the centre-backs in front of him having played well collectively and individually in repelling the Tigers, while the Czech Republic international was outstanding against Manchester City.
With Rob Atkinson out for the rest of the season and Kal Naismith still several weeks away from a first-team return, they are Pearson’s only senior centre-back options unless he was to bring Cam Pring or George Tanner infield from full-back.
It is worth noting that Kalas made his first start for nearly a year last Saturday and then conceivably could have three games inside eight days. Under normal circumstances, Pearson may want to rest him for this game, but with a lack of options, outside of Andy King or Duncan Idehen, doesn’t have much choice in the matter.
George Tanner has established himself as first-choice right-back but was substituted at half-time on Tuesday as Pearson sought greater attacking impetus from wide areas, with Mark Sykes slotting in as an auxiliary full-back. The manager did claim that Sykes could potentially play that role from the start of a game, not just as a mid-match tactical alternative, but it seems likely that Tanner will still retain his place in the starting XI.
Pearson emphasised on Friday that Kane Wilson is still not ready for first-team involvement, despite appearing on the bench for the Manchester City game. The right-back still needs time to build up strength in his knee.
The left flank is worthy of debate because such is the way Cam Pring plays - all lung-busting gallops up and down the line - he’s a definite candidate for someone whose energy levels could be slightly off. Jay Dasilva is also one of the few genuine senior alternatives Pearson has, so it would make for a straightforward swap without losing too much penetration going forward.
But Pring has proven himself to be of the required fitness to manage the load and give it’s a derby, Dasilva may come into the equation for the trip to Huddersfield Town on Tuesday instead.
Midfield
As mentioned, with no Naismith, there isn’t a lot of wiggle room for Pearson in this department and it looks likely that it’ll be Matty James, Joe Williams and Alex Scott yet again. The manager noted all three were “excellent” against Manchester City so certainly any decision to take them out won’t be based on performance.
Scott’s durability remains remarkable so he’ll almost definitely start, and you can say the same about James, relative to his age and the injury issues he’s encountered throughout his 20s, while Williams appears to have impressively got through his physical frustrations that marred the first 18 months of his time at Ashton Gate.
King could be swapped in for James or Williams if Pearson is concerned, and of the trio, the Scouser is the most likely man to come out of the team, especially if there is a wish to start him at Huddersfield.
But beyond Omar Taylor-Clarke and Andi Weimann, if the manager was feeling particularly experimental, that is kind of it regarding his central midfield options and quite probably it’ll be as you were in that area of the pitch.
Attack
The same cannot be said for the top end as Pearson demands nothing but absolute maximum intensity from his forwards, in and out of possession, and having put in the miles on Tuesday, if there are to be huge changes to the line up, it’ll be here.
It’s almost a given that Anis Mehmeti will return after being cup tied in midweek. The Albanian has been nothing short of excellent since his arrival and despite the encouraging efforts of Sam Bell, the new man has that left-sided attacking role locked down.
Inside him it appears to be between Bell - who started against Hull - Nahki Wells - who did so for the visit of Manchester City - and Cornick - who’s played there once before in the 1-1 home draw with Wigan Athletic.
You can make a strong case for all three: Bell, because his performances deserve inclusion and he brings significant pace; Wells, for his finishing; Cornick, because he is the fresher man having not been able to feature in the FA Cup.
What transpired in training on Friday has dictated this decision and unless Bell and Wells showed they are at 100 per cent, or as close as is desired by Pearson, for their energy levels and ability to engage in high-intensity sprints, we’re surely going to see Cornick there.
He does come into the conversation on the right but with an ongoing Mark Sykes vs Andi Weimann battle, the most realistic outcome will be him starting through the middle.
As for that contest, Sykes appears to have earned his manager’s trust and admiration and away from his goals, his pace, direct attacking ability and comfort in the position means it’s his place to lose.
Weimann probably still hasn’t done quite enough in the time he’s been afforded since returning from injury but is the club captain, has an excellent record against Cardiff and should Sykes’ conditioning be ever so slightly off, will likely step into the role.
Bristol City (4-3-3): Max O’Leary; George Tanner, Zak Vyner, Tomas Kalas, Cam Pring; Matty James, Joe Williams, Alex Scott; Mark Sykes, Harry Cornick, Anis Mehmeti
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