This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Comment’ series, this content strand is where the author of the article issues their personal opinion on the topic at hand....

Bristol City were tipped by some as dark horses for the play-offs this season and thus far have done their chances no harm at all.

Lee Johnson’s side have improved their league standing every year since they returned to the Championship in 2015 and last year came frustratingly close to reaching the play-offs for the first time since Lee’s father Gary was at the helm.

The Robins appeared well set but a late-season slump in form saw them slide down the table and finish eighth, four points off the top six.

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City endured a summer in which multiple key players left, including star defender Adam Webster and captain Marlon Pack, and  struggled to attend to perhaps their greatest need, a new striker.

They were outclassed by Leeds United on the opening weekend of the season and it seemed as though this might not be the year many in the South West had hoped for.

However, since that 3-1 loss at Ashton Gate, they have gone unbeaten and climbed to fourth in the Championship, despite injuries to some key players.

Three of their key summer signings, Tomas Kalas, Jay Dasilva, and Adam Nagy, have missed much of the start of the season, but Johnson’s side has continued to get results.

The Robins were arguably unlucky to only draw away at Birmingham City in their first midweek tie of the 2019/20 campaign but have since gathered momentum and picked up 13 points from a possible 15, with wins against QPR, Derby County, Hull City, and Stoke City.

Impressive as that run may appear, it is important to consider that three of those four sides have endured disappointing starts to the season and are in the bottom six places in the Championship.

That makes their meeting with Swansea City, which is something of a derby, a huge game for Johnson’s side.

Under new boss Steve Cooper, the Swans have made a fantastic start to the season and are second in the table, only below leaders Leeds on goal difference.

The Welsh side’s visit to Ashton Gate is surely the Robins' biggest test since the opening weekend but it also represents a huge opportunity.

Other than Leeds, Swansea are the first real promotion contenders that City have faced this season and winning would provide a huge confidence boost, as well as sending a message of intent.

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It will be no easy feat, especially with summer signing Benik Afobe reportedly out for the season, but Nottingham Forest proved last weekend that it is certainly doable.

A win on Saturday could see the Robins jump up into the automatic promotion places and would surely send a message to the rest of the league that even without Afobe they mean business.