Bristol City may have to do without the services of striker Famara Diedhiou for their clash against Stoke City on Friday 2nd April, with the Bristol Post reporting that the turnaround between the player's international fixture for Senegal and the game against the Potters will be tight. 

The towering frontman has now joined up with his national team ahead of their qualifiers against Congo and Eswatini and is set to return to the UK after their final game on the Tuesday prior to the home match against Stoke.

However with the game against their fellow Championship side coming on a Friday as opposed to a Saturday, it will be a tight call over whether Diedhiou will make it back in time in order to be in the starting line up for Nigel Pearson's men.

There has been previous problems of the same nature, with the 28-year-old almost missing his side's game against Barnsley at Oakwell back in September after a COVID test result came back with only a few hours to spare, causing the forward to have to take a seat on the bench.

Diedhiou would be viewed as a big miss for the game against the Potters, with the striker having found the net on 10 occasions this season for the Robins.

The Verdict 

The absence of Diedhiou wouldn't be ideal from a Bristol City perspective however they will have been well aware of the risks of this happening when the player linked up with his national team recently.

In the event of the striker not being able to play, they can always call on Antoine Semenyo as an alternative up top, with the youngster having shown gradual signs of improvement in recent weeks under Pearson.

Whilst Nahki Wells could also operate as a lone centre forward if needs be, with the former Huddersfield Town man offering a different threat to that of Diedhiou and Semenyo.

With the Robins all but safe in midtable, it could well be the perfect opportunity for Pearson to experiment with his side in the event of Diedhiou being missing.