Bristol City's opening fixture at home to Leeds United is exactly what the club want, according to manager Lee Johnson.

The Championship fixtures were released this morning, with the Robins welcoming Leeds to Ashton Gate for the season opener at 4.30pm  on Sunday 4th of August.

Other notable fixtures include the first Severnside derby away at Cardiff City on Saturday 9th November, with the return tie taking place on Saturday 4th April.

Speaking at the Bristol City fixture announcement (Facebook Live, 6:17), Johnson described the draw as "fantastic".

He added: "I think that is exactly what you want. A Big, big game. The first game always has a cup final mentality. Obviously, it is Leeds, a fantastic team with a fantastic manager."

"It will be great. Ashton Gate will be absolutely packed and it's live on Sky, so it will be that real first game cup final feeling that the lads love."

"I'm pretty sure with the obsession in the fanbase that we have here at Bristol City that plans will be changed particularly for that."

He joked by issuing a cheeky dig at Leeds: "Me and Jamie [McAllister] have just rented out a two-bedroom flat overlooking Leeds' training ground. So we can get a good view on their training."

Shifting attention to the away game against Birmingham City four days later, assistant manager Jamie McAllister said: "It's a great away game for the first game. Last year I remember [Diedhou Famara]'s goal, which was a great goal to win the game away from home."

"They've had a change of manager and they will no doubt have a change in style. So, it is a good time to play them."

Verdict 

A huge game to kick off the Robins season and an opportunity to gauge themselves against a team that will be hoping to challenge for the Championship title this season.

It will be a real test for Johnson's side, as City have beaten the Lilywhites just once since 1997 and have lost 11 of the 14 fixtures in that time.

The South West side's home form let them down last season and they won just 32 points at Ashton Gate, putting them 18th in the Championship home form table and meaning they had the lowest relative home/away performance of any team (points per game at home minus points per game away) with -0.26.

An opening win against Leeds would be an excellent start to the season and in front of what is likely to be a packed stadium could help transform their form at the Gate this season.