Bristol City injury latest as Nigel Pearson confirms two players out for Swansea clash

Bristol City will be without centre-back pair Kal Naismith and Tomas Kalas for their Championship clash with Swansea City at Ashton Gate this weekend.

Naismith has been absent for the last five matches after sustaining a calf injury in the goalless draw with Coventry City in the early part of October. The 30-year-old had been ever present for the Robins in the league before being forced off through an injury. He had been scheduled out for 10 days for October 4, but that has been extended.

Kalas has only just returned to the first-team set-up after recovering from a lengthy lay-off. The 29-year-old had undergone surgery for a groin problem which ruled him out for the remainder of last season. He later suffered with a knee injury that kept him out for an extended period. The Czech Republic international missed the 2-0 defeat to Reading with a tight calf problem and was rested as a precaution but the issue has since carried on to this week.

“I think it’s fair to say neither of them will be available for the weekend, which is unfortunate for us but somebody else gets a chance," said first-team manager Pearson in his pre-match interview with Robins TV.”

City are also dealing with a bout of illness in the squad with precautions being taken to avoid the risk of spreading it to others. Several players have been away from the High Performance Centre training ground with caution as to when they can be integrated back into the squad.

A number of players from the Under-21's set-up have been drafted in to assist with training and some could find themselves in the match-day squad against Swansea. Dylan Kadji has been on the periphery and has recently ousted Han-Noah Massengo on several occasions for a place in the squad.

City are short in the defensive area and could look to Joe Low - captain of the Under-21's whilst Raphael Araoye and Jamie Knight-Lebel are other options. Pearson has named a centre-back three of Timm Klose, alongside Rob Atkinson and Zak Vyner for the last number of games.

The young Robins, who lost their first game of the season against Ipswich Town last week did not have a game this week. They are scheduled to next play on Tuesday, November 1, with a home game against Charlton Athletic at the HPC, the same day as the Sheffield United match at Ashton Gate.

Pearson added: “There may be opportunities again for some younger players coming into the squad that our fans haven’t seen before. If that happens, good luck to them. “At the moment we have one or two away from work with illness, so it’s important we make sure they’re okay but there could be opportunities coming along for players.”