Blues are back on the road this weekend when they travel to Bristol City for the third game of the Championship season. Prior to last year, Blues have found success at Ashton Gate and Eustace will be aiming to resurrect that form and bring home three points. With a side that has so much excitement around it, demonstrated by another sold-out away end, Blues will be looking to put a marker down as a team to be reckoned with.
Many fans will be pleased with the brand of football Blues are playing this season, which has come from how the side has set up. Blues seem convinced by the 4-2-3-1 formation due to the freedom it allows key players like Dembele and Laird to express themselves as well as providing defensive security so that the side is not caught on the counter. So, how will Blues likely line up this weekend?
John Ruddy will start in goal and looks set to remain at the club this season after Tim Krul transferred to Luton Town earlier in the week. With no additions in the centre-back department since the Leeds game, Blues will likely start with the pairing of Dion Sanderson and Kevin Long, who were both immense last time out.
Blues have changed how they use their full-backs this season, with Laird and Buchanan occupying different roles within the team. Laird continues to play quite high up on the right side, allowing him to run at the opposing full-back and win the ball back early. While this happens, Buchanan often tucks in next to the centre-backs, creating a back three, making Blues more secure if possession is lost. This duo have been one of the stand-out changes to the side since last year and will hopefully continue in a similar vein this week.
Moving further up the pitch, Blues employ two holding midfielders which will almost certainly be Sunjic and Bielik. While the pair might not be the highest in the team in terms of touches, it’s their ability to break up play and offload the ball to others which is so valuable to the side. We’ve seen the solidity they provide the backline with the minimal amount of chances Blues concede from the middle, with the opposition being forced into less threatening positions out wide.
Blues are currently playing with three behind a striker, which has added creativity to the side. Within the three, the only definite is Siriki Dembele starting on the left and being given licence to constantly run at his marker. The other two positions will have a greater role than usual this week as it’s likely that Dembele will be doubled up on, putting the onus on others to utilise the freedoms this creates for them. To fulfil this role, I would like to see Bacuna and Miyoshi start in the middle and on the right. The duo should be allowed to rotate positions to keep a fluid attack and provide issues for a solid Bristol City defence.
Leading the side, Blues have Scott Hogan. Whilst the hunt for a new striker continues, Hogan will likely start on the weekend over Lukas Jutkiewicz. With so much creativity in the eleven, I feel Hogan will have some clear-cut opportunities this weekend, which will hopefully allow him to get on the scoresheet and lead to a run of form.
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