It's the first of seven pre-season games for Bristol City this afternoon as the Robins take on Cheltenham Town at the High Performance Centre.
The League One opponents will prove a decent test for Nigel Pearson's new-look team with their opponents now under the stewardship of former Robins midfielder Wade Elliot, following Michael Duff's move to Barnsley.
It is the first opportunity to see City's new summer signings in action with Mark Sykes, Kal Naismith and Kane Wilson all expected to get some minutes under their belt ahead as the Robins build up their match fitness ahead of curtain-raiser against Hull City on July 30. Although fellow new arrival Stefan Bajic is likely to watch on from the stands as he recovers from a minor wrist injury.
Pearson has been hugely positive regarding the club's pre-season so far, praising their fitness levels and sharpness with optimism growing ahead of the new campaign. While results aren't particularly important during pre-season but performances are and the manager will want his side to build momentum throughout the month with a strong XI expected to take on Cheltenham.
City's Under-23 side were in action last night, beating Paulton Rovers 6-1 with a number of fringe players in action including Max O'Leary, Duncan Idehen, Ryley Towler, Sam Bell and Tommy Conway.
It will be telling in Pearson's team selection today as we bring you the talking points ahead of City's game with Cheltenham this afternoon.
Formation
Pre-season is the ideal opportunity to experiment and Pearson's signings suggest the side is more adaptable to switching between a back three and back four. At the beginning of last season, the manager would favour a four but City's defensive record and injuries forced him to play the extra man in central defence which became a constant theme, particularly into the second half of last season.
It also meant Pearson found a formula that allowed his attacking trio to flourish and become one of the most lethal in the Championship, earning the plaudits from a host of managers who would attempt to set up differently to try and nullify the threat.
The arrival of Kane Wilson, a natural attacking right wing-back, is the biggest indication that Pearson has strengthened his squad with a firm eye on sticking with the back three heading into the new season. Kal Naismith also adds an option in central defence while the extension to Timm Klose suggests four central defenders including Rob Atkinson and Tomas Kalas will be looking to compete for the positions in the long term.
City's desire to sign at least one more central defender is also evidence Pearson wants sufficient cover to play with a back three for the majority of the season.
During a pre-season interview with Robins TV, Pearson admitted his tactics won't be too dissimilar in comparison to the end of last season. He said: "I can't see us changing too much on how we play off the back of last season, where we discovered a formula that suited the players we have and as an attacking side we were very exciting but we have to make sure our ability to defend is more consistent."
What could happen is City may start with a three and then switch to a back four at half-time, which will also be interesting to see how that changes the dynamic in midfield and in the attack.
Pearson did play with a four at Nottingham Forest last season which included a flat three midfielder of Alex Scott, Joe Williams and Han-Noah Massengo with Andi Weimann playing behind Antoine Semenyo and Chris Martin.
Although with Mark Sykes coming into the squad, there are more options to play wider in attack that could allow Weimann to move out onto the opposite flank, allowing a central midfielder to push forward into more of a No10 role.
Mark Sykes
That brings us nicely to Mark Sykes and the role he could play during the friendlies as he looks to gel among the first-team squad.
One of the reasons why Pearson made him his first summer signing was his versatility across the pitch. He started his career as a centre midfielder and later developed into more of a right-winger where he can influence the play in more advanced positions.
He's also had a brief stint playing wing-back and as a playmaker behind the two strikers. Considering City don't utilise wingers when playing with the three at the back formation, it's led to questions as to where Pearson sees Sykes fitting in his side when he is on the pitch.
More will be revealed later this afternoon, of course, assuming Sykes gets game time against Cheltenham but a glimpse at City's training in the week before last seemed to show the attacking midfielder drifting to occupy a space in a right attacking position, although feeding off striker Chris Martin.
Pearson wanted more goals from midfield last season and Sykes provides that extra threat with the 24-year-old scoring eight and assisting five for Oxford United in League One. If City shape up with a back three, he could very well rotate with Weimann in that No10 role.
Although with Semenyo out injured, Weimann could be deployed alongside Martin with Sykes dropping in behind, almost playing that free role. Another option would be to play him out on his favoured right-wing position in a 4-2-3-1 formation allowing him to play off the front man in Martin or Nahki Wells.
It's also likely we could see Sykes play in central midfield, but whether that is seen as his long-term position seems unlikely. James, Williams, Massengo and Andy King are all likely to be pushing for minutes with Alex Scott unlikely to feature following his European Championship win last Friday.
Han-Noah Massengo
Although this afternoon's fixture will be very early to judge how Pearson sees Massengo's involvement while his future remains in the balance, it could still give an indication as to whether he is looking to involve him in his first-team plans going forward.
Pearson has already stated that there has been no concrete interest in his players, suggesting that while clubs may be sniffing around Massengo, they have yet to receive an offer. The manager wants to keep the Frenchman and hasn't ruled out the possibility of a new deal although it remains unlikely.
Towards the end of last season, Massengo was starting matches on the bench with the manager admitting the decision came down to the uncertainty over his future. It's likely to remain a similar situation against Cheltenham, but the number of minutes on the pitch may determine how much involvement the Frenchman will have in the pre-season squad this summer.
Pearson will want to ensure Massengo is match fit ahead of the new season on July 30 in case he does end up staying at Ashton Gate for at least one more season. Heading into today's contest, City's midfield looks threadbare and therefore the Frenchman is likely to feature.
Scott will miss out following his international exploits leaving King, Williams, James and Massengo all competing for a spot in midfield. Josh Owers is unlikely to play after featuring for the U23s yesterday although Dylan Kadji may be handed his opportunity to make an impact.
Hoping to impress
Cam Pring - Having fallen out of favour at the end of last season, Pring will feel he has a point to prove to make a statement during the friendly fixtures.
The 24-year-old's last appearance came in the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth having failed to feature in the last six matches while also missing out on the squad for the majority of those. Midfielder Ayman Benarous was also preferred to him in a left wing-back position in the absence of Jay Dasilva.
Featuring out on the left is his favoured position but Pring is adaptable playing in central defence although with a lack of cover for Dasilva, the Cheltenham-born defender will be hoping to impress, should he be rotated with his team-mate in the wing-back role.
Nahki Wells - It's an important pre-season for the experienced striker and at the age of 32, Wells is no stranger to the build-up ahead of the new campaign.
With Semenyo out injured, Wells will have the opportunity to get among the goals during these run of friendly matches and send a statement to Pearson that he deserves to be starting matches when the season gets underway in the absence of his team-mate.
When speaking to the media earlier in the year, Wells spoke of the importance of generating momentum through scoring goals in order to gain confidence and shake off the rustiness from warming the substitute bench.
Of course, there's no guarantee Wells will be at the club come September when the transfer market closes as he enters the final year of his deal and the interest in his signature from the likes of Preston.
But with Conway and Bell waiting in the wings and the possibility of pairing Weimann with Martin in attack with Scott playing in the No10 role behind, City's £5m man will be eyeing a strong performance to stake his claim both for the Robins and any other watching clubs.
George Tanner - He showed a glimpse of his potential last season before picking up a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for much of the second half of last season.
It was unfortunate for Tanner considering City's lack of defensive right wing-backs with Pearson forced to juggle between names in an attempt to find the best solution.
The 22-year-old recovered towards the end of the campaign but Pearson refused to rush him back into action, starting him in a handful of U23 fixtures before putting him on the bench in a number of senior matches.
With Wilson expected to be first choice wing-back following his award-winning season with Forest Green, Tanner may have to be patient for his opportunity. When he gets it, he'll be wanting to show that he's not there to make up the numbers and put pressure on his team-mate for the starting spot.
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