Bristol City secured a dream start to the new Championship season by hammering promotion hopefuls Sheffield United 4-1 at Bramall Lane.
Gerhard Struber stuck with Liam Manning’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation which proved hugely successful last season but also applied subtle tweaks to the setup as Emil Riis Jakobsen and Adam Randell were given debuts along with goalkeeper Radek Vítek. The new boss was rewarded with a series of fine individual performances from his team as Ross McCrorie, Anis Mehmati and Scott Twine (twice) found the net in a ruthless attacking performance which saw the Robins consistently hit the Blades on the counter attack with a well-executed game plan.
It’s still early days in the season but it’s a result that fans will take plenty of positives from heading into this week’s League Cup match with MK Dons. It’s a match which offers Struber a great opportunity to potentially experiment with his team and give a few new players the chance to shine ahead of the next league match against Charlton. With that in mind we once again aim to predict how the Cider Army will line-up.
1. GK: Radek Vitek
Radek Vitek comes in for his second start between the posts after doing a solid job against Sheffield United. There is a slight possibility that Joe Lumley could start given that it's a cup match but we expect Vitek to get the nod on this occasion. | Getty Images
2. CB: Zak Vyner
Zak Vyner is likely to keep his place in defence after impressing in the showdown against Sheffield United. | Getty Images
3. CB: Rob Dickie
Rob Dickie missed the opener through suspension but is likely to return to the fold with some much needed minutes ahead of the Charlton test. | Getty Images
4. CB: Haydon Roberts
Haydon Roberts gets the nod in defence as George Tanner and Rob Atkinson are both rested ahead of the Championship clash at the weekend with Charlton. | Getty Images