A cup fixture against a side in the lower leagues will always provide the opportunity and temptation to experiment and see how one or two youngsters will handle the test.
Lincoln, fresh from a shock defeat against Chippenham Town in the FA Cup first round at the weekend, make the trip to BS3 tonight looking to make amends and pull off a surprise of their own.
Despite that result, The Imps shouldn't be underestimated as they currently sit 13th in League One. They'll be eager to find a reaction and they'll head to Ashton Gate with the pressure all on the hosts.
City head into the contest on the back of two wins in their last 12 and therefore this game is a welcome opportunity to get back to winning ways. Manager Nigel Pearson has already conceded he will pick a relatively strong side to ensure they get the job done and book their spot in the next round.
A win will also see City progress into the last 16 of the competition and the opportunity to play one of the Premier League big guns. Here's how we see them setting up this evening.
Goalkeeper and defence
Changes to some extent will be expected and that includes the goalkeeper which could spark an intriguing tell-tale of how Pearson currently views the hierarchy between the sticks. Since Max O'Leary has come into the side, he's impressed and enjoyed a terrific performance at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
It's kept Dan Bentley on the bench and you'd assume this would be a game where Pearson turns to the club captain to give him his first taste of action since the 3-0 defeat at Birmingham on October 8. However, there's a couple of stipulations to that.
The first being that Pearson stuck with previous No1 Bentley for the previous two Carabao Cup victories, keeping O'Leary on the bench. Part of that could have been down to the fact there was uncertainty in August whether the Republic of Ireland international would be heading out on loan.
Although there's every possibility Pearson sticks with the trend of not switching his goalkeeper for the cup if recent history is anything to go by. The second conundrum is whether Pearson turns to youngster Stefan Bajic.
He spoke very highly of the Frenchman last month and admitted he was fast-tracking himself into the reckoning after impressing for the Under-21s and in training. Despite travelling with the first-team to matches, Bajic has yet to be involved in a matchday squad but tonight provides a good opportunity to make the bench at the very least.
In front of the goalkeeper, Pearson is likely to stick with the three central defenders but his options still remain limited. Tomas Kalas and Kal Naismith are almost certainly expected to miss out with calf injuries.
Rob Atkinson has missed the last three games with illness but Pearson admitted before the draw on Saturday he is likely to be back in contention. Cam Pring has taken advantage of his absence with three assured performances but the manager has reiterated his desire to play him at left wing-back when availability allows.
Zak Vyner and Timm Klose are also in contention, as is youngster Joe Low who made his senior debut by coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute. Pearson showed a lot of trust in the 20-year-old to throw him on when City were under pressure to help see out the game and leave the Riverside with a point.
That faith in his ability could see him make his full senior debut and if it happens, it's likely he will require experience alongside him.
Wing-backs and midfield
Pearson threw a curve ball into the mix on Saturday by starting Andi Weimann and Antoine Semenyo as the wing-backs to try and offer more attacking emphasis. On the one hand, it worked when the Austrian ended his goal drought at the back post but Semenyo really struggled positionally.
It provided Mark Sykes with the welcome opportunity to have a rest and it's likely he'll come back into the frame on the right side. It becomes a little more complicated on the other flank.
Jay Dasilva was also a substitute on Saturday and was introduced for the final 20 minutes. He has been rested in both Carabao Cup matches this season in favour of Pring and despite playing in the last three matches in defence, the manager may be tempted to give City's academy product the opportunity to showcase his ability out on the flank.
In central midfield, Andy King is the most likely certainty having started in both Carabao Cup victories. His availability will provide Matty James with the opportunity to rest and he will fill that role screening the defence.
Who plays alongside him remains a bigger debate. Han-Noah Massengo started in the wins over Coventry and Wycombe with Dylan Kadji also coming in, and scoring, in the second round.
The academy talent has since moved ahead of Massengo in the pecking order with the Frenchman's decision not to sign his new contract offer. Theoretically, Kadji could therefore earn his second senior start as Massengo returns to the bench.
Pearson's comments about fielding a strong side also point to Alex Scott or Joe Williams, both of whom played the full 90 minutes at Middlesbrough. City are expected to see a lot of the ball and therefore the game would be more suited to Scott especially if he's handed the freedom to push forward.
Although ideally he would be rested in preparation to take on Watford where the league takes priority and a seat on the bench with the ability to change the game if needed would seem most likely.
Strikers
Pearson has the pick of six names pushing for a start in Tommy Conway, Nahki Wells, Antoine Semenyo, Andi Weimann, Chris Martin and Sam Bell.
Tonight provides an opportunity for both Wells and Conway to earn a rest with the pair starting the last three matches while Semenyo is struggling to find a similar impact to the form he showed before the initial international break.
On the flip side to that, it's now 11 games without a goal for Semenyo and Pearson could be tempted to start him in attack in a game which could be a catalyst to kick-start a goalscoring return ahead of Watford and before he inevitably heads off to the World Cup.
Martin hasn't started a game since leading the line against Wycombe back in August and will want his opportunity to stake a claim while youngster Bell is also in contention after appearing off the bench in two of City's last three league games.
There could be a temptation to rest Weimann but he appears to be coming back into form especially off the back of a goal at the weekend, and with a three-week World Cup around the corner, Pearson may show little hesitation in giving him an hour before reevaluating the scoreline and his options.
Bristol City (3-4-1-2): Dan Bentley; Zak Vyner, Joe Low, Rob Atkinson; Mark Sykes, Andy King, Dylan Kadji, Cam Pring; Andi Weimann; Antoine Semenyo, Sam Bell
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