Bristol City assistant coach Keith Downing has revealed the club are optimistic that captain Tomas Kalas can return from injury "sooner rather than later" with the Czech defender set to have a scan on the injury he suffered against Northampton Town.

The Robins hammered the League Two side to set up a Carabao Cup third round clash with Aston Villa next week but Kalas was forced off the field inside the first 10 minutes due to a shoulder injury.

With Nathan Baker already set to be out until Christmas, the last thing City need is for the Czech Republic international to spend an extended spell on the sidelines.

Speaking to the Bristol Post in a press conference ahead of the game against Stoke City on Sunday, Downing addressed the situation concerning Kalas.

He said: "Tomas has to go and see a specialist and have a scan so we’ll await those results. It’s a big disappointment for us all, certainly after only five minutes but we’ll have to see wait the medics say."

Downing added: "It was such an innocuous challenge as well and he fell awkwardly so we’ll have to wait and see the medical reports. We’re optimistic and we’re hopeful that he can come back sooner rather than later."

The City assistant coach also provided an update on the fitness of a number of their other missing men.

He said: "We’re still waiting on Jay (Dasilva); at the moment, he’s got to see a specialist on Friday so we’ll obviously get the report back from that.

"We’re hoping it’s not going to be too serious but we’ll wait and see on that. Callum O’Dowda, Joe Williams and Liam Walsh are all progressing well; Joe’s actually been back on the grass so that’s good news."

The Robins will be looking to make it four wins on the bounce under new head coach Dean Holden when they travel up to the Bet365 Stadium to face Stoke on the weekend.

Michael O'Neill's side began their Championship campaign with a goalless draw against Millwall but picked up a confidence-boosting 1-0 win against Wolves in the Carabao Cup last night.

Are these 11 facts about the current Bristol City squad true or false?

 

The Verdict 

Despite what was a fantastic victory on Wednesday night, seeing Kalas taken off early on with an injury will have been both frustrating and concerning for City fans.

They've done some good business this summer and have made a strong start to the season, the last thing they need is another campaign plagued by injury issues.

Kalas has just been handed the captaincy and at his best is as solid a defender as they come in the Championship. Downing remains optimistic and the Ashton Gate faithful will hope he's right and their skipper is back sooner rather than later.

The same can be said for Dasilva, while it seems the midfield trio of O'Dowda, Walsh, and Williams aren't too far away which is great news.