Antoine Semenyo decision & Pearson drops defender - Bristol City predicted XI gallery vs Watford

Bristol City are in action for the final time until the three-week break as they welcome Watford to Ashton Gate. Nigel Pearson faces his former club for the first time since his sacking in the summer of 2020.

Pearson was sacked by Watford despite them being outside the relegation zone at the time of his sacking. The 59-year-old ahead of this match addressed the pressure he's facing in his current job. It's just two wins in the last ten matches and no win in their last five for the Robins. Their slump in form has seen them slip down the table to 20th in the Championship.

It is a stark contrast to Watford who have four wins in their last five matches and are currently fifth in the league. A win for Slaven Bilic's men would bring them closer to their goal of automatic promotion whilst for City, it would at least relieve their pressure from the bottom of the table. As is the nature of the Championship, if City won they could shoot up to just below mid-table.

Approaching the break, there are still several players out with injury, more specifically in defence with Kal Naismith and Tomas Kalas sidelined. Naismith is sorely missed admitted Pearson with several combinations tried in recent matches. Kalas had only been back for a few games after a seven-month lay-off but is now out once more.

Scoring goals hasn't been an issue for most part of the season but in some matches, City's strikers have failed to put away their chances which has resulted in either a loss or a draw, when a win would have been the desired result on reflection of the game.

Tuesday's midweek loss against Lincoln City saw eight changes made but not many will have played their way into Pearson's plans in what was arguably the worst performance of the campaign. Here is how we think City will line up in their usual 3-5-2 formation.