It's never wise to make too many alterations to a winning side as Bristol City aim to pick up back-to-back victories for the first time this season but manager Nigel Pearson may have little choice.
Wednesday's victory over Reading wasn't exactly fluid football, but they got the job done after surviving an onslaught in the final 15 minutes to salvage an important 2-1 victory.
It wouldn't be a huge shock if City lined up unchanged against their Welsh opponents but, equally, with their sixth game in 22 days, it is no surprise there are fresh injury concerns with certain players dealing with little niggles.
Han-Noah Massengo limped off after 16 minutes on Wednesday after landing awkwardly on his hip and it could go down to the wire whether the midfield has recovered in time while Joe Williams is unlikely to be fit enough to make a start.
The Robins head into the game on a poor run of away form having not won in their nine but will believe they can go home with all three points with their Welsh rivals underachieving in the league.
Russell Martin's side sit one place behind City in the league and have won once in their last five matches which included a 3-0 loss at Stoke in their last league outing.
Goalkeeper and defence
Pearson was rewarded with his faith by sticking alongside Max O'Leary in Wednesday's victory despite pressure to bring Dan Bentley back from the cold. The 25-year-old had endured a tough time of late and his goal against record is no secret as he awaits to keep his first clean sheet since he came into the side against Queens Park Rangers in December.
He looked on course to get the first blank under his belt against Reading until Timm Klose's soft penalty gave John Swift the opportunity to score from the spot in which he had little chance of saving. However, he can take some much-needed confidence from his overall performance particularly coming out to catch crosses and relieve the pressure on his defence.
He also made one brilliant save towards the end, albeit it was offside but O'Leary did not know that at the time. If the offside flag hadn't been raised, he would have been reaping the plaudits and it was acknowledged by assistant Curtis Fleming in the post-match press conference.
Dropping him now following a victory wouldn't make much sense so expect O'Leary to start again with Dan Bentley forced to wait for his chance a little longer.
Zak Vyner came back into the defence against Reading and didn't put a foot wrong. In particular, he appeared to have an impressive understanding with Jay Dasilva on the right side, keeping the opponents at bay for lengthy periods.
Klose deservedly picked up the Man of the Match award midweek and despite a run of matches, he will undoubtedly be back on the left of the back three with Pearson confirming on Friday they need him at the back.
Dasilva continues to enjoy a resurgence in the side while Cam Pring was solid once again against Reading in a left wing-back role, assisting the all-important second goal so expect the same set-up at the back on Sunday.
Callum O'Dowda is out of action for up to six weeks with a knee injury picked up in his last outing and the defence will undoubtedly pick itself and remain the same.
The only spanner in the works could be if Vyner is asked to play in defensive midfield with City short of numbers in the middle of the park (more on that below). That could suggest Robbie Cundy may come in for his full debut having enjoyed substitute appearances against Preston North End and Reading.
Midfield
The midfield remains Pearson's big dilemma and he'll be sweating on the fitness of Massengo before determining whether he is fit enough to play. The 20-year-old is struggling with a hip injury and despite Curtis Fleming's hopeful diagnosis on Wednesday night, speaking 36 hours later Pearson suggested it will be a 50/50 whether he is able to feature.
The manager admitted he would assess the situation on Saturday and make a last-minute decision but with City light of options in the middle of the park, he will surely take the risk if there is any chance he can play.
Joe Williams earned 75 minutes on Wednesday just four days after playing 45 minutes in the 3-1 loss at Blackpool. He has yet to make a start since November 24 and would usually be an obvious choice to come in if Massengo is ruled out.
However, Pearson admitted he isn't fit enough to play three games in a week as he continues the road to full fitness and you can understand the manager's desire to keep him wrapped in cotton wool - especially with Andy King and Matty James sidelined.
Alex Scott is fit and will play in central midfield but the question marks linger as to who will play alongside him. If Massengo and Williams are unable to start, that could mean Pearson is forced to play a square peg in a round hole.
You would imagine Ayman Benarous is too overtly attacking to sit alongside fellow youngster Scott, meaning Zak Vyner could be an option in defensive midfield. The defender hasn't played in that position under Pearson but did so when Dean Holden was in charge. Josh Owers is also an option to make his Championship debut having been included in the travelling squad at Luton Town and impressed in his appearances for the Under-23s.
Unlike Benarous, who may be a year younger but does has the benefit of a reasonable amount of first-team appearances relative to his age, Owers is a more defensive-minded midfielder, capable of also playing full-back.
Don't be surprised to see one of the youngsters making an appearance following Pearson's comments in his pre-match press conference. He said: "It’s difficult at the moment because we have a number of players who aren’t available but opportunities for somebody else. There might be more youngsters involved at the weekend that you don’t know of, fine, if we have to do that then we’ll do it."
Strikers
Fresh on the back of winning the Championship Player of the Month, Antoine Semenyo will be full of confidence heading into Sunday's fixture and will be the first name on the team sheet.
He scored again against Reading - his fourth in six games and also struck the post after brilliantly taking Chris Martin's pass down on his chest and hitting it on the half volley.
Andi Weimann, who has been the stand-in captain in recent weeks, will surely play behind the front two. The Austrian, who is the club's top scorer with 14 goals, assisted Semenyo on Wednesday after making a darting run in the box before the keeper denied his initial attempt.
Martin looked tired both against Blackpool and Reading which comes as no surprise given the 33-year-old has played the full 90 minutes in five matches that have coincided in the last 18 days.
Judging by Pearson's comments on Friday, back-up striker Nahki Wells may not even be in the matchday squad, let alone start the game. He missed the Reading clash with Covid on the back of scoring against Blackpool and the manager claimed he was only "running on grass" in the build-up to Swansea.
Therefore the front three that has scored in 11 consecutive league matches is likely to start the match and youngster Sam Bell could be on the bench for the third consecutive game.
Bristol City (3-4-1-2): Max O'Leary; Zak Vyner, Tomas Kalas, Timm Klose; Jay Dasilva, Cam Pring, Han-Noah Massengo, Alex Scott; Andi Weimann; Chris Martin, Antoine Semenyo
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