Wolverhampton Wanderers will put their Premier League survival bid to one side when they travel to Ashton Gate to face Championship side Bristol City in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday lunchtime.
The two teams meet for the first time since February 2019 when the Old Gold secured a 1-0 away win over the Robins in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Match preview
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After 26 games in their 10th successive season in the Championship, Bristol City sit eighth in the table having won nine, drawn 10 and lost seven, picking up 10 points across their last four matches.
The Robins were denied maximum points in their opening fixture of 2025 after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Plymouth Argyle, but they returned to winning ways last weekend as Luke McNally scored the only goal in a narrow 1-0 home victory over Derby County.
Bristol City have now won four and drawn one of their last five matches at Ashton Gate, keeping four clean sheets in the process, and head coach Liam Manning is keen for his side to "continue building" their strong run of form on home soil.
The Robins head into Saturday's FA Cup tie having progressed from four of their last six third-round matches, winning both such ties against Premier League opponents in that time - beating both Huddersfield Town in 2019 and West Ham United last season by 1-0 scorelines.
However, Bristol City have failed to win their last three meetings with Wolves and have lost their last two home encounters in all competitions, last losing more consecutively against the Old Gold between 1929 and 1965 (four).
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Since the arrival of new head coach Vitor Pereira, Wolves have won two, drawn one and lost one in four Premier League fixtures, most recently losing 3-0 at home to high-flying Nottingham Forest on Monday night.
Ex-Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White haunted his former club with an early opener, before strikes from Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi rubbed salt into the hosts' wounds, condemning them to their 12th league loss of the campaign and leaving them hovering just above the relegation zone only by goal difference.
Pereira, who is "proud" of his players that have "tried everything" since his arrival, is sure to have one eye on a challenging run of Premier League fixtures on the horizon, but his side now have a chance to return to winning ways in the FA Cup, a competition that Wolves have won four times in their history - most recently in 1960.
Wolves have had mixed success in the FA Cup in recent years, advancing from the third round only five times in the last 10 years. They progressed to the quarter-finals last season, but their cup run was ended by Championship opposition, losing a dramatic contest 3-2 at home to Coventry City.
The Old Gold have reason to be optimistic of avoiding another surprise exit on Saturday, though, as they have won both of their previous two FA Cup meetings with Bristol City, both by 1-0 scorelines. The have not been eliminated by lower-league teams in consecutive seasons since 2012 (Birmingham City) and 2013 (Luton Town).
Team News
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Bristol City will be without Cameron Pring, Sinclair Armstrong, Joe Williams and Ayman Benarous due to injury, while Rob Atkinson has left the club to join Portsmouth on loan.
Manning has confirmed that Rob Dickie is a doubt as he continues to recover from illness, but Kal Naismith and Mark Sykes has returned to training and are in contention to feature this weekend.
A few 'tweaks' are set to be made to Manning's lineup, but the likes of Anis Mehmeti - who has scored a team-high nine goals this term - Scott Twine, Jason Knight and Zak Vyner could all retain their places in the first XI.
As for Wolves, Matheus Cunha will serve the second of a two-match suspension, while Toti Gomes (hamstring), Sasa Kalajdzic, Yerson Mosquera, Boubacar Traore and Enso Gonzalez (all knee) are all sidelined with injuries.
Defensive duo Nelson Semedo (hamstring), Craig Dawson (calf) and midfielder Andre (knock) all missed the defeat to Forest with injuries and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Matt Doherty was in the Wolves side that beat Bristol City in their last meeting almost six years ago, and he could play either as a right-sided centre-back or at right wing-back, while it remains to be seen as to whether new January signing Emmanuel Agbadou - a £16.6m addition from Reims - will be involved.
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Bajic; Vyner, Dickie, McNally; Tanner, Knight, Bird, Roberts; Twine, Mehmeti; Bell
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; Doherty, S. Bueno, Ait-Nouri; Lima, Lemina, J. Gomes, R. Gomes; Bellegarde, Sarabia; Hwang
We say: Bristol City 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Taking into account that fact that Bristol City are set to name a relatively strong lineup and Wolves could be without a number of players, there may be little to separate these two teams this weekend.
The Robins have looked strong on home soil in recent weeks, while the Old Gold continue to look vulnerable in defence, so we are backing the hosts to claim a Premier League scalp and advance to the fourth round.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
