Bristol City are back in Championship action this weekend, with league leaders Bournemouth making the trip to Ashton Gate. 

The Robins, who are without a home victory since January, know that the visit of The Cherries will be one, if not their most difficult test yet, but will still take confidence going into the game.

Despite possessing a weak record on home soil this season, The Robins have made up for it with excellent displays away from home, and as a result, they care currently ninth and just two points of the play-off positions.

Bristol City have proven to be tough to beat and difficult to break down in recent weeks, losing just once in their last seven, and that defeat came in the form of a narrow 1-0 loss away to Millwall.

 

 

Speaking to Bristol Live about his options for the clash against the table-topping Cherries, Nigel Pearson said: "We want an available squad at all times but the injuries we've picked up have been pretty manageable.

"The players have been diligent with their rehab, so we're always confident of getting them back as soon as possible.

"The international break came at a good time in terms of allowing a bit of extra time for the players to recover from what were pretty minor problems.

"We're getting there. The only ones are Robbie Cundy, who has this long-term knee issue which is still a bit grumbly at the moment; Antoine, we're protecting his knee - it just needs a bit more time; Tommy's doing really well and I would think he'll be back out on the grass in the next week or two. He's way ahead of schedule.

"It just means we're able to pick from a pretty fit squad. Nice problems to have."

The verdict

It appears that possessing a near-enough full squad has been a rarity this Championship season, with a whole host of second-tier managers seeing lots of sidelined players thus far.

This latest update means that Han-Noah Massengo is likely to be available for Saturday's clash, with the 20-year-old proving to be such a dependable figure in Pearson's midfield.

One would think that Bristol City's dismal home record will have to come to an end soon, and how fitting would it be if that elusive win came against the league leaders.