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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
Richard Forrester

Bristol City predicted team vs Wycombe: Changes expected as Nigel Pearson prioritises the league

Bristol City head into their cup game against Wycombe with plenty of momentum after going four matches unbeaten and therefore Nigel Pearson may be reluctant to make too many changes.

However, with a relatively thin squad at his disposal and games coming thick and fast, it's all about managing minutes and changes will be a necessity with a close eye on the trip to Blackpool at the weekend.

The Championship remains the priority and Pearson seems to have found a winning formula with the likes of Tommy Conway and Nahki Wells proving their worth as a dangerous front pairing.

Therefore tonight will be the opportunity for certain players to give the manager a selection headache in the league. That is relevant for the likes of Kane Wilson who may have felt hard done by at the lack of minutes he has mustered so far.

After the first round victory over Coventry, Pearson would make five changes to the team that drew to Wigan and there's likely to be a similar overhaul tonight from the side that beat Cardiff - although Pearson could be forced to play a couple of names he'd rather rest.

Here's how we think City will shape up to face Wycombe.

Goalkeeper and defence

Ties like these will always provide an opportunity for Pearson to cast his eye on one or two players across his side and that could be relevant with the goalkeeper situation.

With a focus on the league, Pearson could hand Max O'Leary his first start of the season and give captain Dan Bentley a well-deserved rest on the back of two clean sheets.

Saying that, momentum is key and therefore there's also the argument that the manager will want to keep his No1 in goal as City look to mount a cup run. Bentley was given the nod in the first round against Coventry but with City coming up against League One opponents, there will be the temptation to bring in O'Leary with a lengthy trip up to Blackpool on Saturday.

The same could be said about the back three with the trio starting to forge a strong understanding. The obvious potential change Pearson could make would be to bring in Timm Klose, who has yet to start a match this season.

Timm Klose could start against Wycombe (Robbie Stephenson/JMP)

Pearson opted to stick with the Zak Vyner, Kal Naismith and Rob Atkinson trio against Coventry but games are coming thick and fast. It's also worth noting that City hadn't won a game before playing the Sky Blues and therefore the manager may have wanted to play a strong side just to spark some momentum in the league.

If Klose does come into the action, there's the question as to who would come out. Replacing Vyner would mean Pearson wouldn't need to shuffle the back three but Klose is more suited in the middle. If that's the case, Naismith could move to the left with Atkinson rested.

Ryley Towler played for the Under-21s yesterday and therefore is unlikely to be considered and Tomas Kalas remains sidelined with no date on his return to action.

Midfield and wing-backs

We'll start with the wing-backs and if there's one certainty to this fixture it's that Wilson will be handed his opportunity with Mark Sykes suspended.

Wilson was perhaps unlucky not to make his full league debut against Cardiff on Sunday with the manager preferring Alex Scott but his selection was entirely justified. Wilson started against Coventry and he'll be desperate to give Pearson a .welcome selection dilemma heading into Blackpool with a strong performance this evening.

There's the case for George Tanner to feature, but similar to what occurred in the first round of the cup, the 22-year-old is likely to start on the bench and be introduced in the second half.

On the other flank, we could also see another change with Cam Pring pushing for a start ahead of Jay Dasilva. He returned to the starting XI in the first round at Burton's Pirelli Stadium and turned in an impressive performance only to be an unused substitute against Wigan and Cardiff while being left out of the squad against Luton.

In central midfield, Joe Williams is likely to drop on the bench again with Pearson not willing to risk playing him three games in a week and Matty James is expected to miss out as he recovers from a calf injury.

That leaves four players battling it out for starting roles in Alex Scott, Han-Noah Massengo, Andy King and youngster Dylan Kadji. King is likely to start in a defensive midfield role and is probably too soon to throw Kadji into the mix from the off although it wouldn't come as a great surprise considering the involvement of both Massengo and Scott at the beginning of this season.

Considering the Frenchman's run of fine form and the fact he partnered King against Coventry with great success, he could get the nod with Scott likely to be rested.

The attack

Conway has been the talk of the city over the last couple of weeks following his brilliant form which includes four goals in his last four matches. He was handed his opportunity in the first round and hasn't looked back having started in every match since.

Wells has also grabbed his opportunity with both hands and the in-form duo are likely to start against Blackpool in the league at the weekend. Therefore, opportunity is likely to knock for Chris Martin who will undoubtedly lead the line.

Chris Martin is likely to start in attack (Andy Watts/JMP)

It's who plays alongside him that remains more uncertain. Sam Bell has only seen five minutes of action this season and he'll be looking for his chance. He was also left out of the Under-21 victory on Tuesday suggesting he could feature for the senior side this evening.

Cup matches can highlight the lack of depth in squads and that's the case with City's attack at the moment with Antoine Semenyo still recovering from a shin injury.

In an ideal world, Andi Weimann would also be rested but with Sykes unavailable, the Austrian is likely to start in the No10 role behind the two frontmen. Kadji could come in to form a flat midfield three and provide Weimann with the opportunity to earn a rest.

Bristol City predicted team (3-4-1-2): Bentley, Klose, Naismith, Atkinson, Wilson, Pring, King, Massengo, Weimann, Martin, Bell

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