Bristol City predicted line-up vs Portsmouth: two key changes made including big striker call
Bristol City take on strugglers Portsmouth in their first Championship contest of 2026
After finishing sixth in the Championship and reaching the play-off semi-finals in 2025, Bristol City will hope that 2026 can finally be the year that they end their 46-year hiatus from England’s top division.
They start the New Year with a home clash against Championship strugglers Portsmouth, and are aiming to climb back into the top six after falling short against Millwall last time out. The Robins have made a strong start to life under Gerhard Struber and have regularly remained in the top 10 or higher throughout most of the campaign since the Austrian’s arrival at the club in pre-season to replace Liam Manning.
However, he’s more than aware that his team will need greater consistency if they are to finish in the upper echelons of the Championship table come May. He said after the Millwall loss: “Really frustrated and really disappointed with how we lose this game today. I would say with so many things on this game-day, I am really, really happy with how we deal with an opponent like that with the long ball strategy.
"Many, many first duels, many, many second balls go in exactly the way that we want, and we find, I would say, over the whole game time, most of the time, control in this game, and we don't play in this chaos that we want. But, two times, we're not ready in a box defending moment on the level that you have to be, especially against Millwall.”
Here we take a look at Bristol City’s predicted XI to face Portsmouth:
Bristol City predicted XI vs Portsmouth: goalkeeper and defence
GK: Max O’Leary: Manchester United loanee goalkeeper Radek Vitek will be sidelined until February with a knee injury, meaning O’Leary now has a run of games to prove himself after missing the start of the campaign with an ankle problem. The Robins have won two of their last three matches since the 29-year-old’s return to the lineup.
CB: Zak Vyner: Highly-rated central defender Vyner, who was the subject of interest from Wrexham on Deadline Day last summer, has been a real key figure this season due to his versatility to excel in both central defence and midfield. He’ll be vital if the Robins are to start the year with a valuable clean sheet.
CB: Robert Dickie: The experienced defender has been a near ever-present throughout the campaign. He’s likely to keep his spot in central defence.
CB: Rob Atkinson: The 27-year-old made his first start since November against Millwall and is expected to keep his place in the back line.
RW: Ross McCorie: The versatile defender, who has an outside chance of representing Scotland at the World Cup, is expected to be a big source of creativity in the wing-back position.
LWB: Neto Borges: A change in defence sees Borges replace Cameron Pring in the left wing-back area in an attempt to shake things up.
Bristol City predicted XI vs Portsmouth: midfield and attack
CM: Adam Randell: The summer signing has played almost every match since his move from Plymouth Argyle and that’s unlikely to change much in the early part of 2026 based on current form.
CM: Jason Knight: The skipper is now starting to get a run of games under his belt after a challenging injury-hit start to the campaign for the Robins.
CAM: Scott Twine: The former Burnley playmaker is so often a source of inspiration going forward and he’s also a huge threat from set pieces. He’s expected to feature once again.
CAM: Anis Mehmeti: Albanian international Mehmeti is a real playmaker in the team for the Robins that’s more than capable of deciding matches when in full flow. They’ll hope to tie him down to a new contract in the near future.
ST: Emil Riis: The former Preston North End frontman returns to replace Sinclair Armstrong in the central forward role. He’s scored seven since joining, with the most recent one coming against Middlesbrough.