Bristol City predicted team vs Coventry: Struber to consider strike duo amid Vyner uncertainty

Bristol Live’s predicted Bristol City team to face Coventry City amid uncertainty over whether or not Zak Vyner will be fit to feature

Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber makes his way over to the touchline(Image: Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

It is that time again. Just three days after perhaps the most dramatic evening of Bristol City’s season so far, the Robins are in Championship action again today, and it’s the big one as Gerhard Struber’s boys travel to Coventry to take on the league leaders.

The Reds’ trip to the CBS Arena comes at the end of a three-game week in which the Robins have frustrated, impressed, and caused one or two new grey hairs, all in the process of securing a single point. That sole point came in the form of a Jekyll and Hyde draw against Leicester City on Wednesday evening.

After perhaps their poorest half of football at Ashton Gate this term saw City head into the break two goals down against the Foxes, an excellent second half showing, bookended by goals from Mark Sykes and Emil Riis, proved to be enough for the Robins to come back and claim a 2-2 draw.

For today’s opponents, midweek also saw points shared, but in a rather different fashion. After what was just their second defeat of the season at the hands of Ipswich Town last weekend, Coventry were held to a 1-1 stalemate by 10-man Preston North End on Tuesday evening.

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Even with that disappointing result, Frank Lampard’s side are sitting pretty at the top of the Championship, with five points currently separating them and second-placed Middlesbrough and nine splitting the Sky Blues and the play-off places.

Because of the above, you don’t need me to tell you how tough a test the Robins may be in for today. Potentially, the challenge could be made even harder if Zak Vyner isn’t available after the versatile defender was withdrawn at half-time in midweek, having felt his knee. While Struber was hopeful he would be fit to feature against Coventry, he couldn’t be certain at that point.

With the quick turnaround and a possible absence, there may well be a bit of a reshuffle on the cards. We’ve tried our best to get inside the mind of the Reds boss, so here is how we think City will set up against the Sky Blues…

Goalkeeper and defence

While it was the work at the top end of the pitch that saw Bristol City come from behind to level in their draw with Leicester City, it took an excellent late save from Radek Vitek to ensure that effort didn’t go to waste in the final moments of injury time. The Manchester United loanee got down brilliantly well to claw Silko-Amari Thomas’ effort out of the bottom corner late on.

Despite the Reds’ woes in the first half, Vitek was once again solid between the posts against the Foxes. It would come as a surprise if he were not to start between the posts again, with Max O’Leary expected to keep his place on the bench.

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What the backline ahead of the 22-year-old looks like will likely be determined by the fitness of two players in particular: Zak Vyner and Cam Pring. Because of the quick turnaround and Gerhard Struber’s desire not to take unnecessary risks with players in the red zone, we’re going to work on the assumption that Vyner is unlikely to feature from the off against Coventry, after being withdrawn at the break in midweek.

Now, there is a very real chance that Pring will just slot into the 28-year-old’s role as the left-sided centre-back, but we’re not sure if he will be quite ready to start back-to-back games in the space of just a few days. With that in mind, our bet is that Neto Borges will slot into the back three, as he did in the closing exchanges against the Foxes, alongside Rob Dickie and George Tanner.

Should that be the case, it will likely be down to Pring, Haydon Roberts and potentially Vyner – if he is able to make the squad – to provide cover from the bench.

Midfield

As has been the case for much of the campaign so far, it feels as close to a certainty as it can possibly be that Adam Randell will start for Bristol City at the CBS Arena today. The 25-year-old has started each of the Reds’ first 20 Championship games and impressed in the majority of them, often as the only natural midfielder fit and available.

When it comes to who partners him in the middle of the park, however, things have been far less straightforward. It could be Scott Twine, Mark Sykes or even Zak Vyner if he is fit, but this time, we’re going to back Jason Knight to get the nod.

The skipper dropped to the bench against Leicester City on Wednesday evening, and I think it is fair to assume that may have been a decision made with today’s game in mind. As the Robins manage his minutes upon his return from a groin injury, it makes sense that they may have seen it fit to only start the Ireland international in two of their three matches this week.

Jason Knight was named Bristol City captain last summer(Image: EFL)

Should Knight return, it will also allow Sykes to return to what is probably his preferred position at right wing-back. The 28-year-old was excellent when moved to that flank against the Foxes in midweek, as he kick-started the comeback, and against a Coventry side that has had a bit of a wobble in recent weeks, he could provide a real attacking threat.

On the other wing, you could make a real case for any of Neto Borges, Cam Pring or Ross McCrorie featuring from the off. On the basis that Pring’s workload needs to be managed and our prediction that Borges will be the final piece of the back three, our expectation is that McCrorie will start out wide.

The Scotsman may be naturally more comfortable on his right side, but you wouldn’t have known that, both against Leicester and towards the back end of last season.

Attack and striker

This may be where we get this one wrong. After Wednesday’s second-half showing, Gerhard Struber was clear that he wanted Bristol City to carry that momentum into today’s clash with Coventry City and with that in mind, we’re backing the Robins boss to start with a front three made up of a sole 10 and two strikers.

Scott Twine didn’t have the best of evenings against Leicester, and therefore it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he were to be left out of the starting line-up. However, he has started every game – when available – so far this term, so perhaps Struber will stand by his number 10 after what was just a bad day at the office.

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This predicted team would be very boring if it were just full of ifs, buts, and maybes, though, so we’re going to suggest it will be Anis Mehmeti who sits just behind a partnership of Emil Riis and Sinclair Armstrong.

Such a combination caused the Foxes plenty of problems in midweek, and Struber may well feel that the only way of getting the better of Coventry is to fight fire with fire. The presence of Armstrong tends to allow Riis to have more space in which he can operate, whilst Mehmeti’s free role means that he can impact proceedings from a variety of positions.

If the Robins boss does opt to use a strike partnership, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of Fally Mayulu, Harry Cornick or Olly Thomas feature from the bench when either Riis or Armstrong tire in the second half.

Bristol City predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Radek Vitek; George Tanner, Rob Dickie, Neto Borges; Mark Sykes, Jason Knight, Adam Randell, Ross McCrorie; Anis Mehmeti; Emil Riis, Sinclair Armstrong

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OPINION