Nigel Pearson says changes were needed following the dismal defeat at Birmingham as he challenges Max O'Leary to grasp his opportunity to become the club's No1.
Bristol City's captain Dan Bentley was named on the substitute bench for the first time this season with the manager handing back-up stopper O'Leary his first start of the campaign.
The City manager dropped a hint that Stefan Bajic would make the squad this evening in his pre-match press conference but he was left out despite being with the travelling party.
Speaking to Robins TV ahead of the game, he said: "We needed changes from the weekend and there are players who are playing tonight who are maybe a bit fortunate and some who maybe a bit unlucky to be left out but we needed to make changes.
"I want Max in there to be positive. He's not had opportunities this year but he's got one tonight so he needs to make sure he takes it."
Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol, he added: “We’ve now got three goalkeepers who are in serious contention for the top spot, what I can't do is have rules for some and rules for others. The weekend was a difficult game, I think it’s time to make a change.”
Bentley was dropped from the starting line-up last season for two months over the Christmas period in favour of O'Leary. He made it no secret how he "hated" not being involved in the action.
The 29-year-old was recalled to the starting XI following an injury picked up by his Republic of Ireland team-mate. He then retained the No1 shirt until the end of the campaign and remained first choice for the opening 13 league matches of the season including starting in the two Carabao Cup victories.
Bentley finds his future uncertain beyond this campaign. His contract expires in 2023 and despite admitting his representatives held early talks over an extension in May, he has yet to agree on a new deal.
Bournemouth were linked with his signature in the summer but the newly-promoted Premier League side instead opted to sign Barcelona's Neto on a one-year contract. O'Leary's contract also expires in 2023 although there is the option to extend that for an extra year.
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