Town boss Mick McCarthy is expecting a bouncing Ashton Gate on Saturday with Bristol City’s home ground sold out ahead of new manager Lee Johnson’s first game in charge. The Blues, now seventh, visit the Championship’s 21st-placed team looking to end an uncharacteristic run of three away defeats in all competitions and climb back into the top six.
"I see they’ve sold out and they’re trying to get the place bouncing and get behind the new manager, which I’m sure they will,” McCarthy said.
"We’ve got a good away record, it’s taken a bit of a blow just recently, but over the season we’ve got a good away record.
"They’re anything but the worst team in the division, I think that’s been proven, but if you look at where we both are, they’re just outside the bottom three and we’re just outside the top six, so it’s an important game for both of us and we’ll be going there whatever team is playing, whatever players are playing with a positive feel.”
The Town boss believes the Robins have a squad capable of beating the drop: "They’ve been playing differently, they’ve not been playing the 3-5-2 that they were [in September’s 2-2 draw] here.
"I’ve watched them a few times. I watched them at Cardiff and they should have beaten Cardiff that night, they played really well.
"It was one of those where they conceded goals, but they just seem to have stemmed that tide a little bit and been a bit more solid.
REMINDER: There are no tickets available on the gate tomorrow at Bristol City FC. This match is sold out. Please do not travel without #ITFC– ITFC_PlanetBlue (@ITFC_PlanetBlue) February 12, 2016
"But they will be bouncing, they’ll be ready for it on Saturday. It’s a good club and it’s a great atmosphere anyway. They’ve got one side shut and the rest will be full. They’ll be ready for us.”
As ever, McCarthy wouldn’t turn his nose up at an away point: "I’ve told you before, I’ll take a draw every time I leave here.
"I know people say ‘Isn’t that negative?’, but not really, no, because if you’re at 0-0 you can always nick it, and it can be nicked off you, as was proven last week.
"But we didn’t set up to try and get a draw [at QPR] and I won’t do that on Saturday. But so as not to have [another defeat] away from home I’d take a draw but we’re going to go and try and win.”
Bartosz Bialkowski will continue in goal with Dean Gerken still a week or so away from a return to fitness after his shoulder injury. Jon Henly will be the sub keeper.
Skipper Luke Chambers will continue at right-back with Jonas Knudsen on the left and Tommy Smith and Christophe Berra at the centre of the defence.
In midfield, the Blues boss will be forced into a significant change with Bristol-born ex-Robin Cole Skuse out with a toe injury for a month to six weeks.
Kevin Bru will take up one of the central midfield roles alongside Luke Hyam if the former academy man is over the calf injury which saw him miss the game at QPR last week. Hyam trained on Thursday and is due to be assessed today.
If he doesn’t make it, Jay Tabb may come into the team alongside Bru, although McCarthy has said he has various other central midfield options including Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Kevin Foley, youngster Adam McDonnell and new loanee Ben Pringle.
Jonathan Douglas will serve the final game of his three-match ban, while Giles Coke will be out for four weeks with the knee injury he suffered at Loftus Road.
Pringle will probably be required to play on the left flank in place of Ryan Fraser, out for six to eight weeks with his hamstring problem, with Freddie Sears likely to be on the right.
Daryl Murphy looks set to come back into the starting line-up with former Bristol City striker Brett Pitman likely to be alongside him with Luke Varney dropping to the bench.
The Robins' Newmarket-born new manager Lee Johnson is looking to make a positive start having been appointed last Saturday.
"The short term targets are to win as many games as you can,” he told the Newmarket Journal. "We’ve got a good squad here and we’ve got every chance of staying up.
"Against Ipswich on Saturday we need to get off to a good start, get the players buzzing and have more of the nice vibe going around the ground.”
Johnson, a team-mate of Skuse, Gerken and Pitman during his playing days at Ashton Gate, is expecting a difficult game but believes his side is capable of claiming the three points.
"Mick has done a great job at Ipswich and they'll be tough opposition but it's a game I think we can win,” he added. "I'd settle for a passionate, scruffy win but hopefully we'll show a lot more than that.”
On-loan QPR midfielder Ben Gladwin has had an injection for a knee problem and is "touch and go”, according to his manager. Fellow midfielder Korey Smith is expected to be OK despite suffering a minor knock.
Historically, Town have the edge, winning 28 (26 in the league), losing 18 (18) and drawing 13 (13).
In September, Fraser netted an 86th minute equaliser as the Blues drew 2-2 with the Robins at Portman Road.
Skipper Chambers headed Town in front a minute after the break but quick-fire goals from Luke Freeman and Jonathan Kodjia gave the Robins the lead before Fraser’s late equaliser.
The teams last faced one another at Ashton Gate in January 2013 as the Robins sought in vain to avoid relegation to League One.
Former Town striker Jon Stead netted a last-minute winner as they came from a goal behind to beat the Blues 2-1.
Town had gone ahead in the first half through Murphy and ought to have been two in front when Lee Martin spurned a gilt-edged chance, but Steven Davies netted straight after the break and Stead claimed the three points in the final minute.
Skuse moved to the Blues from his hometown club, who he had joined as a schoolboy, following their relegation in the summer of 2013 after making 245 starts and 62 sub appearances, and scoring nine times.
Gerken also left Ashton Gate the same summer, joining the Blues after a trial during pre-season ahead of 2013/14, having made 60 appearances for the Robins after signing from Colchester in July 2009.
Pitman was with the Robins from 2010 to 2012 between his two spells with AFC Bournemouth. While with Bristol City he scored 20 goals in 36 starts and 45 games from the bench. Town assistant manager Terry Connor played for the Robins between 1991 and 1993.
Bristol City’s 23-year-old Irish defender Derrick Williams regularly trained with the Town Academy during the school holidays as a youngster but ultimately opted to join Aston Villa as a scholar.
New Bristol City manager Johnson was born in Suffolk during his father Gary’s time as a player with Newmarket Town.
The Blues have sold their entire allocation - reduced as there is redevelopment work ongoing at Ashton Gate - and no tickets will be available on the gate.
Prior to the match Town managing director Ian Milne will be answering questions from fans at an event held by the South-West Branch of the Supporters Club at Toto’s Wine Bar with all Blues fans invited to attend.
Saturday’s referee is Tony Harrington from Cleveland, who has shown 54 yellow cards and one red in 19 game so far this season.
Harrington has only taken control of two previous Town games, the 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield last April, in which he booked Tommy Smith, Christophe Berra and one Terrier, and the 3-0 Boxing Day 2013 victory at Doncaster in which he yellow-carded just one home player.
Squad from: Bialkowski, Henly, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Foley, Berra, Smith, Digby, Malarczyk, Hyam, Tabb, Bru, McDonnell, Pringle, Maitland-Niles, Touré, Sears, Pitman, Murphy, Varney.