Bristol City predicted XI vs Rotherham gallery - as Nigel Pearson handed injury boost

Bristol City are preparing to face Rotherham United at the New York Stadium - but who starts for the Robins?

Bristol City's Championship campaign resumes tomorrow as they make the trip to Yorkshire to face Rotherham United at the New York Stadium. It will be 28 days since the Robins last played a league fixture - a goalless draw against Watford, however they did play a behind-closed-doors friendly against Southampton.

As it stands, the game is set to go ahead despite the icy conditions across England and Wales, though the Millers do not have under soil heating at their ground. It has been moved to an earlier kick-off to allow for fans to watch the World Cup quarter-final between Gareth Southgate's Three Lions and holders France.

The break for the World Cup was a catch-22 situation for City, given they had secured a positive result against promotion hopefuls Watford, in what was arguably their best performance of the season, despite not winning. The pause on league football did come as a benefit however for those on the sidelines, as with no matches played, they were allowed to recover and not rushed back in to action.

The latest team news is that Tomas Kalas will not recover in time from an injury he sustained after making a two-game comeback. The Czech Republic international will not return until at least Christmas or the New Year period. Ayman Benarous is no longer closer to returning and was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.

Defence is an area that City are short on numbers but Kal Naismith has recovered from a calf injury that ruled him out from early October. He's been a big miss for City who have had to mix and match in defence. George Tanner is also back available after serving a three-match suspension whilst Antoine Semenyo is in consideration, despite playing for Ghana at the World Cup.

The break for the World Cup was a catch-22 situation for City, given they had secured a positive result against promotion hopefuls Watford, in what was arguably their best performance of the season, despite not winning. The pause on league football did come as a benefit however for those on the sidelines, as with no matches played, they were allowed to recover and not rushed back in to action.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.