Bristol Live’s predicted Bristol City team to face Southampton as Roy Hodgson’s Robins look to bounce back from defeat to Norwich
Tomi Horvat is yet to start a game for Bristol City under Roy Hodgson(Image: Getty Images)
After a bruising afternoon at Ashton Gate, things now appear set to get even tougher for Bristol City. For the penultimate time this term, Roy Hodgson’s side are on the road this evening as they travel to St Mary’s to face the Championship’s form team, Southampton.
The Robins’ trip to the south coast comes in the middle of the final three-game week of the league campaign. A three-game week that got off to a rather disappointing start as City slipped to their first defeat under their interim boss at the hands of Norwich City.
Having taken a very early lead through a Sam Morsy piledriver, the Reds conceded four times in just 27 second-half minutes to one: ensure Sam Bell’s stoppage time strike was little more than a consolation and two: see their already slim top six hopes mathematically ended by a 4-2 defeat.
For this evening’s opponents, Saturday afternoon instead produced the latest in what is proving to be a very, very long line of good results as Southampton stretched their winning run in all competitions to eight games with three points away to Swansea City.
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Shea Charles’ strike on 57 minutes and Cameron Archer’s as the clock hit 90 proved enough to undo and then overturn the damage of Marko Stamenic’s first-half opener in South Wales and fire Tonda Eckert’s side to within a single point of the automatic promotion places.
Naturally, given both the form and league table, the Saints will come into tonight as favourites. Whether or not City’s position as underdogs with little, in terms of promotion, relegation and the top six, to play for aids or hinders their cause, only time will truly tell.
As was the case against the Canaries, the Reds will come into this one with no Max Bird or Joe Williams, with both midfielders sidelined by injury. They’re joined on the treatment table by defenders Rob Atkinson and Luke McNally, but Rob Dickie and George Tanner are expected to be available for selection once more.
With all of that end-of-season preamble out of the way, here is how we think Hodgson’s side will line up at St Mary’s…
Goalkeeper and defence
Perhaps for the first time since Roy Hodgson took interim charge of Bristol City late last month, Radek Vitek wasn’t quite at his best against Norwich City last time out. The Manchester United loanee, like most in red and white, will have likely been disappointed with his second-half performance.
Still, however, the 22-year-old pulled off some important saves in the opening 45 minutes and has more than enough credit in the bank this term to keep his place in the starting line-up. Assuming Joe Lumley remains out of the matchday squad, Lewis Thomas will be the alternative on the bench.
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Ahead of Vitek, there are a few options at Hodgson’s disposal, particularly with both Rob Dickie and George Tanner now fit enough to make the matchday squad.
Our bet is that the interim head coach will err on the side of caution when it comes to Dickie and, therefore, continue with what has, so far, been his preferred centre-back combination of Noah Eile and Neto Borges. Such a pairing will likely also mean that Cam Pring keeps his place at left-back, leaving Seb Naylor again amongst the substitutes.
At right-back, we’re going to back Hodgson to make a change. Given the quick turnaround, it feels possible that he will look to manage Ross McCrorie’s minutes. While that could be done by deploying Jason Knight at right-back, we think Tanner will return to the starting line-up after his brief cameo against the Canaries.
Midfield
Since half-time on his first game back in the Bristol City dugout, away to Charlton Athletic on Good Friday, Roy Hodgson has stood by the same central midfield pairing for all but a matter of minutes: Sam Morsy alongside Adam Randell.
Of course, this is the first time we’ve seen the 78-year-old take charge of a three-game week and, as a result, he may tinker with things a bit more against Southampton than he has done throughout his tenure so far. However, based on the evidence of the four games played under his management so far, we expect both Morsy and Randell to start once more this evening.
Away from home against a Saints team full of confidence, the greater presence offered by such a duo could be vital. Both players are also able to look after possession, which could prove vital in a game where City may not see too much of the ball.
Bristol City midfielder Sam Morsy during the Robins’ defeat to Norwich City(Image: Photo by Simon Galloway/Getty Images)
With that in mind, our bet is that Jason Knight will continue as the Robins’ left-sided midfielder. Of course, in an ideal world, the Reds skipper would be playing in a more central role, but with Max Bird injured and Tomi Horvat yet to truly get up and running under Hodgson, this feels the most likely outcome.
That line of thinking is also why we’re backing Mark Sykes to keep his place on the right flank. Was the Ireland international at his best against Norwich? No, but he has started all four matches since the March break. It would come as a surprise if that were to change at St Mary’s.
Of course, with tonight’s game sandwiched between last weekend’s defeat to the Canaries and this weekend’s trip to Birmingham, one of Horvat, George Earthy or perhaps Sam Bell could be thrown into the fold. We just don’t think Hodgson will make changes for the sake of changes.
Attack and striker
It was interesting that two of the first three players withdrawn by Roy Hodgson in Bristol City’s defeat to Norwich at the weekend were Scott Twine and Emil Riis. Both forwards had come close to opening the scoring prior to their exits and maybe would have carried more of a threat in the final 25 minutes than those who replaced them.
If we’re being honest, we’re not sure that Tomi Horvat, Delano Burgzorg, Sam Bell or Sinclair Armstrong’s cameos will have pushed Hodgson into changing the make-up of his front two – although Armstrong was very effective and Bell did get on the scoresheet.
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It wouldn’t be the biggest shock if Riis were to drop to the bench and Armstrong was given the chance to lead the line from the off for the first time under his new interim boss. Perhaps the same is true when it comes to Horvat and Twine, but we’re backing Hodgson to stand by his thinking.
Our bet is that Twine and Riis will keep their places in the starting line-up and likely be withdrawn around the hour mark once more, given the congested fixture schedule. With the games coming thick and fast, those who start on the bench will almost certainly have a part to play.
Bristol City predicted XI (4-4-1-1): Radek Vitek; George Tanner, Noah Eile, Neto Borges, Cam Pring; Mark Sykes, Adam Randell, Sam Morsy, Jason Knight; Scott Twine; Emil Riis
OPINION
OPINION
Daniel Carter