Nigel Pearson has already given us a rough draft as to what his team will look like at 2pm on Saturday afternoon by admitting injuries and form mean his line-up will be “similar” to the one that drew 2-2 with Preston North End.
It’s another trip to the north west for the Robins and a game at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road that could be as much of a challenge against the elements as it could the impressive team that Neil Critchley has put together.
The Seasiders were among the relegation candidates at the start of the campaign but have confounded expectations and have spent much of the season in the relative security of mid-table; an impressive achievement given the resources available.
Returning to that word Pearson used. “Similar” isn’t quite “the same” and, of course, the manager wants to keep the opposition guessing, so City could well be unchanged from the starting XI at Deepdale last Saturday, but there may also be one or two tweaks just to hopefully get City over the line and deliver three points to match their positivity in possession.
Goalkeeper and defence
Nigel Pearson showed considerable faith in Max O’Leary having not dropped him following the defeat at Luton Town and with the 25-year-old putting in a reasonable enough display at Preston - albeit with lingering concerns about his fallibility from crosses - it’s hard to see him not starting again at Bloomfield Road.
Klose’s place in the team has provided an extra layer of security against set-pieces and crosses, plus the Swiss is an organiser, which is needed given O’Leary’s relative inexperience and the fact Cam Pring is pretty new to this whole centre-back game.
Klose therefore will operate again in the middle of the back three and either side of him should be Tomas Kalas and, at least at the start of the game, Pring.
The latter is interesting because how wide Blackpool play was noted pre-match by Chris Martin, and is clearly a discussion that’s been had in the week in terms of preparation.
In that context, Pearson could be considering possibly stationing a more natural defensive player at wing-back to prevent the spaces in behind being exploited by Critchley’s wide men - if that’s how the Blackpool manager intends to play again.
That could then mean Zak Vyner or Robbie Cundy - who made his long-awaited debut last week - coming into defence and Klose pushing to the left of the three but Pearson seems to feel comfortable with Pring as a centre-back, even more so now he has a new defender in there to help him.
Rob Atkinson, as Pearson confirmed on Thursday, will be out for the next three weeks due to a calf problem while George Tanner remains “on track” to potentially return at the end of the month.
Midfield
We’ll deal with the central area first because with Andy King and Matty James ruled out by their manager, that position could well stay the same with Han-Noah Massengo partnering Alex Scott and Andi Weimann in the advanced position ahead of them.
However, another substitute’s appearance and another week’s training means Joe Williams is surely approaching a start, it’s just a matter of when rather than if and how much is seen as risk. Without, of course, knowing the full extent as to where he’s at with his recovery, it’s almost impossible to forecast.
Massengo and Scott’s performance at Preston mean there doesn’t need to be changes in that department as, for the most part, the pair ran the show and there’s no reason - other than the general inconsistencies of youth - why that can’t happen again at Blackpool.
But Scott may be required at right wing-back, should Dasilva (to address the above point) potentially be moved to the left to enable the Robins to have a more natural balance against the hosts’ wing threat.
That also leaves Vyner as a potential option at wing-back, to give City a natural right-sided defender, albeit without the same attacking ability as Dasilva or Scott.
The debate on the left also comes down to how well Pearson feels Callum O’Dowda has played. The Republic of Ireland international has by no means been particularly bad, he just hasn’t been quite as impactful as that little run he enjoyed before Christmas where he was regularly the Robins’ best source of breaking defensive lines and getting in behind.
If Pearson is content with O’Dowda’s contribution and feels he can offer enough defensive protection against Blackpool, then it should remain the same. If not, then that opens the door for a change on the right.
In the playmaker position, Weimann is pretty much undroppable - awful miss at Preston, aside - and Ayman Benarous, who played for the Under-23s in midweek, and Kasey Palmer, who didn’t, will just have to bide their time.
Attack
We may as well cut to the chase here, it’s not going to change and nor should it be, given both of City’s strikers found the target at Preston and Chris Martin and Antoine Semenyo very much look like men in form.
Martin noted on Thursday that it’s slightly surprising just how quickly their understanding has developed but they look a fine pairing and one, when combining all their attributes, offer a bit of everything.
With a partner alongside him, Martin can play those nice little first-time passes and lay-offs on the fringes and isn’t assigned with competing for every single header and physical challenge on loose balls; Semenyo is just as capable in those situations.
The runs the 22-year-old makes, taking defenders with him, also give Martin a little more room to breathe and then profit with his movements into the penalty area.
Nahki Wells is no doubt sat on the bench wishing he can be a part of it and while his 90 minutes for the U23s on Tuesday was important to maintain a level of sharpness, as he found the target twice against Cardiff, it’s hard to see him forcing his way into the starting XI just yet and he will have to be content with a bench role.
Bristol City (3-4-1-2): Max O’Leary; Tomas Kalas, Timm Klose, Cam Pring; Alex Scott, Joe Williams, Han-Noah Massengo, Jay Dasilva; Andi Weimann; Chris Martin, Antoine Semenyo
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