There appears to be a fair bit of skepticism surrounding Bristol City ahead of the 2021/22 campaign – at least from outside the Robins fanbase.

That won't concern the ever stoic Nigel Pearson, whose first full season as City boss gets underway at Ashton Gate tomorrow.

Newly-promoted Blackpool are the Robins' first Championship opponents and will likely still be riding the confidence high of last season's play-off final win.

Pearson will not want to underestimate the visitors and will, no doubt, be desperate to get off to winning ways in Bs3 tomorrow.

With that in mind, we've outlined who he might name in his first starting XI of the 2021/22 Championship season...

City's reigning Player of the Season Dan Bentley looks certain to start between the sticks and may also take the captain's armband, having done so in the final pre-season friendly against Aston Villa.

Bentley was linked with a move away over the summer but the Robins have kept hold of him so far, which is a massive boost for them.

Ahead of him, pre-season selections and Pearson's words indicate that summer signing Rob Atkinson and Nathan Baker are likely to be City's first choice duo at centre-back – meaning last season's captain Tomas Kalas drops to the bench.

The Ashton Gate faithful will hope to see Jay Dasilva stay fit and put together a run in the team and he'll start at left-back while Zak Vyner appears to have beaten Danny Simpson in the competition at right-back.

Pearson is blessed with plenty of options in central midfield but it would be no surprise to see him opt for a holding midfield partnership that he has a huge amount of trust in – former Leicester City duo Matty James and Andy King.

Kasey Palmer has struggled for consistency in a City shirt since arriving at Ashton Gate but the Robins boss has backed him in pre-season and seems likely to do so once again.

The return of livewire Andreas Weimann could be massive for his side going forward this term while on the opposite flank Callum O'Dowda will be determined to prove he can be a dependable option.

The Robins have not signed a replacement for Famara Diedhiou but both Chris Martin and Nahki Wells will be competing for the central role, with the former likely to be first choice.