Bristol City predicted team vs Sunderland as Robins contend with Sykes blow (2025)

How are we all feeling? I'm sure for a lot of you Bristol City supporters, attention immediately turned to this afternoon's clash with Sunderland as soon as that full-time whistle blew at Loftus Road last Saturday.

The Robins slipped slightly below their recent standards as they drew 1-1 with QPR last weekend. Karomoko Dembele capped off an excellent opening 25 minutes from the home side with his impressive header and for a time, it looked as if there would only be one winner. Fortunately, a moment of real quality from George Earthy and Max Bird was enough to not only see the Reds come away with a point but also remain fifth in the table.

On paper, Sunderland travel to BS3 this afternoon with very little to play for. Regis Le Bris' side have already booked their place in the top six but currently sit 12 points adrift of Leeds United, Burnley and the automatic promotion places with just four games to play. The Black Cats come into this one off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Swansea City last time out where Le Bris opted to rest and rotate some members of his squad ahead of their play-off campaign.

Although Liam Manning felt the break came at the right time for his players, the gap between fixtures has brought with it some worrying news on the injury front. The City boss confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Mark Sykes' season is more than likely over having sustained a quad injury in the warm-up at QPR while a late call will be made on Max O'Leary after the 'keeper rolled his ankle ahead of kick-off at Loftus Road.

A win this afternoon would be a massive step in the right direction for the Robins. With fellow play-off hopefuls West Brom and Coventry City meeting at The CBS Arena while Middlesbrough host Plymouth Argyle at the Riverside, Manning's side have a real opportunity to put a bit more of a gap between themselves and their competitors. Nothing can be secured quite yet, but important progress can still be made.

With all of that in mind, here's how we think Manning will set up his side against Sunderland this afternoon...

Goalkeeper and defence

In all honesty, we would need a crystal ball to be sure about who is going to start between the Bristol City posts this afternoon. When we spoke to Liam Manning at this week's pre-match press conference, no decision had been made on whether or not Max O'Leary had come through his small training session in a way that would allow him to feature against Sunderland.

However, Manning was hopeful that the 28-year-old would be fit and ready to take to the field. That, partnered with the fact the academy graduate managed to come through the full 90 minutes against QPR leads us to believe he will start again today. Of course, there is every chance we could be wrong and Stefan Bajic may finally be handed his first Championship start, but you have to imagine Manning, his coaching and medical staff will be doing all they can to get O'Leary out on the Ashton Gate turf.

Ahead of him, our bet is that there will be a slight reshuffle in the back three with George Tanner handed his first start since last month's draw with Sheffield United. We think the former Manchester United prospect will take Zak Vyner's spot to the right of Rob Dickie and Vyner will flip to the left side of the trio, as was the case late on at Loftus Road.

While that backline does lack a natural left footer, it has the pace in and around Dickie to ensure he isn't caught out of possession. That should allow the former QPR man to influence proceedings on the ball in the way that he has done so effectively over the last few months.

Midfield

It will be at wing-back where the impact of such a proposed defensive reshuffle are felt the most. With George Tanner slotting into the back three, our bet is Cam Pring will be pushed forward into a more advanced role as Bristol City's left wing-back.

It could be argued that the more attacking position is a better fit for the 27-year-old as it allows him to utilise his pace in possession, in a way that he can't as part of the defensive trio. It has almost been almost two months since the left-back returned from injury so his body should be able to cope with the greater physical workload required as a wing-back. If not, Liam Manning may opt to leave him in the deeper role and start Haydon Roberts on the left flank.

On the opposite wing, we think Ross McCrorie will finally be given the chance to feature in his preferred position. Although the Scotland international has been superb in a more unfamiliar role in recent weeks, Mark Sykes' injury has opened the door for him to finally return to the right side of the pitch. Against a dangerous Sunderland side, the greater defensive cover he offers should see him given the nod ahead of Yu Hirakawa, who struggled at times against QPR.

Between the two wing-backs, our bet is that it will be Joe Williams who partners Jason Knight in the middle of the park. While Manning has had to manage the 28-year-old's workload, he should be more than capable of starting back-to-back games given the almost week-long break between last weekend's draw with QPR and this afternoon's outing.

The City head coach has previously suggested winning matches at home is the priority. With that in mind, it would make more sense for Williams to start against Sunderland than it would at Luton Town on Easter Monday. Marcus McGuane has shown that he is more than an able deputy and we think the former Oxford United man will share the load with Williams over the course of the Easter weekend.

Attack and striker

Heading into the run-in, we had suggested Liam Manning was facing his biggest Bristol City selection dilemma in attacking midfield with all of Anis Mehmeti, George Earthy, Scott Twine, Max Bird and Yu Hirakawa able to stake a claim as to why they should be starting in one of the number 10 positions.

From our point of view, at least, that dilemma has been made easier to solve thanks to the impressive performances of Earthy and Bird over the last three matches.

Although the City head coach could surprise us all by mixing things up at the top end of the pitch, we think he'll stand by the combination that has served him so well over the last fortnight. Earthy and Bird are playing in a way that has made them almost impossible to drop, even with Twine once again fit and available.

Manning mentioned in his pre-match press conference that the Reds had to manage the former Burnley man through training this week. The Robins won't want to risk losing Twine for the remainder of the run-in so we expect the 25-year-old to be introduced from the bench.

Up front it is once again a shoot-out between Nahki Wells and Sinclair Armstrong. The latter got the nod when these two met at the Stadium of Light and there is a chance his physical presence could see him start against the Black Cats for a second time this term. However, our money remains on Wells.

The Bermudian international has started each of the Reds' last three games. Yes, he was quiet against QPR last weekend but he has scored three in his last three games at Ashton Gate. When the 34-year-old is in that sort of form in front of goal, he's the man you want on the end of your chances.

Bristol City predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Max O'Leary; Zak Vyner, Rob Dickie, George Tanner; Cam Pring, Joe Williams, Jason Knight, Ross McCrorie; George Earthy, Max Bird; Nahki Wells