Bird, Atkinson, Knight: Bristol City injury news and expected return dates ahead of huge Leicester City clash
The latest injury updates and expected return dates from Bristol City as they host Leicester City in midweek
Championship play-off hopefuls Bristol City host Leicester City in a match with huge implications on this season’s promotion race.
The Ashton Gate side are in seventh position heading into this clash with the Foxes after a chaotic end to their 1-0 loss to Millwall. They boast an overall record of 29 points from 19 matches, leaving them just one point away from climbing into the top six as the teams around them in Stoke City and Preston face challenging tests against Ipswich Town and Coventry City respectively.
The Robins have very much continued in the same vein that they finished last season since replacing Liam Manning with Gerhard Struber, but still need further consistency in the coming weeks if they are to secure successive top six finishes.
While Bristol City are still on the right path towards achieving their goals, the same cannot be said for Leicester, who just a decade on from winning the Premier League find themselves languishing in 14th position with voices of discontent towards manager Martí Cifuentes lingering away in the background from supporters.
The Foxes, however, still boast a squad packed with top-flight experience and they’ll still be confident of finishing in and around the promotion places in six months time. The Cider Army will need to be at their best if they are to pick up all three points and build further momentum heading into a hectic festive season of fixtures.
Ahead of kick-off, we take a look at the latest injury updates from inside the Bristol City camp, including updates on star man Jason Knight and Max Bird among others.
Will Jason Knight start against Leicester City?
Club captain Knight made his first start since September in a 1-0 defeat to Millwall at the weekend. He missed the entirety of October with an abductor injury, and after featuring as a subsitute against Swansea and Wrexham was left out of the squad entirely against Portsmouth due to a minor injury concern.
Knight is one of Bristol City’s most important players and he could play a major role in deciding the club’s final standing come the end of the season. However, Struber knows he’ll need to manage the 24-year-old’s minutes during a delicate period of his recovery. He explained: "We'll have tomorrow again a speech with Jason, and then I will decide, what is, in the end, what is the right thing for him; not only for the short term but the long term. We are in a good exchange, everything looks really, really good right now, and we will decide tomorrow, together with the medical team.”
Cameron Pring and Rob Atkinson injury latest
After a challenging period of injuries for Bristol City, The Robins are getting closer to a clean bill of health. Pring featured from the bench in the closing exchanges against Millwall, marking his second outing since coming back from an ankle problem. Harry Cornick also returned to the matchday squad against the capital side and is slowly regaining match sharpness.
Youngster Josh Stokes has recovered from a fractured metatarsal to complete a week of training, although it’s not yet certain if he’ll be ready in time to make the matchday squad.
Rob Atkinson , who sustained an injury last month, is thought to be targeting a return to fitness before the Christmas period in a key boost for the team’s defence. He’s ahead of Luke McNally and Josh Williams who are unlikely to be back in action until the start of 2026.