Luke Turner takes a look at where Blues could win or lose against The Robins…
Next up for Gary Rowett`s promotion chasing Blues is a trip to face relegation threatened Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon.
A win for Blues will see them leap into the play off places but it won’t be all that straight forward as The Robins will be hoping to secure a victory that sees them move out of the relegation zone.
Here’s where I think the game could be won or lost for Blues?
Aerial duels?
Bristol City have some sizeable height in their side with the likes of Aden Flint, Jonathan Kodjia and Nathan Baker.
This could come in handy when it comes to set pieces so Blues need to be wary of this. They should take particular notice of Aden Flint who has been known for his goal scoring exploits over the past few seasons.
French striker, Kodjia, will also pose an aerial threat so preventing crosses from reaching him will be crucial.
The Blues rearguard did a great job in stopping Daryl Murphy last week against Ipswich so I am sure they will have completed their homework on Kodjia and will cope ok.
Run at the defence?
Bristol City have conceded a huge 47 goals this season which shows that their defence is very shaky. They are also quite poor at defending counter attacks which will be of great advantage to Blues.
Whenever our midfielders get the opportunity, they should look to run at the Bristol City defence. Whether that be Maghoma, Toral, Buckley or even new recruit Diego Fabbrini.
Our attacking players are in a rich vain of form at present and the Bristol City defence will not like the prospect of having to defend a one on one against the likes of Toral and Maghoma.
The Robins enjoy keeping possession and are good with the ball at their feet and I think this could play right into Blues` hands.
When an attack breaks down, Blues should look to spring a counter attack on them and get bodies in support of Clayton Donaldson so that we can maximise his output.
Key player for Blues?
I think this could be another game for Jon Toral to make an impact in. Bristol City`s defensive frailties should give Toral the opportunity to find pockets and work his magic in between the midfield and defence.
If the on loan Arsenal attacker can continue his fine performances then this will massively help Blues in their play off push.