Ashton Gate will host a battle between two Championship sides on Tuesday night, when Bristol City and Coventry City fight for a place in the second round of the EFL Cup.
The Robins secured a point during their second-tier opener on Saturday afternoon, whilst the Sky Blues were not as successful on their respective Championship adventures.
Match preview
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After nearly a decade of mid-table finishes in the second tier, Bristol City commenced their quest for a playoff spot in the Championship with a share of the spoils at Hull City on Saturday afternoon, although it could have been significantly better for the visitors to the MKM Stadium.
Heading into added-on time at the conclusion of the second period, the Robins were boldly protecting a one-goal lead courtesy of a wonderful finish from summer arrival Fally Mayulu, before a 91st-minute equaliser from returning Tigers hero Oscar Estupinan forced a split of the honours.
Despite the disappointment of conceding late on Humberside, Bristol City should be relatively confident of progressing to the second round of the EFL Cup at Ashton Gate, with Tuesday's hosts possessing a home record from 2023-24 that was only be bettered by last season's top-six finishers.
Mayulu's contribution off the bench on the weekend was a massive relief for Robins supporters amid speculation around the future of last campaign's leading marksman Tommy Conway, who did not feature at Hull on Saturday, with Middlesbrough edging closer to the signing of the Scotland international.
Bristol City would love a repeat of their first-round EFL Cup performance from the 2023-24 term 12 months ago, when Nigel Pearson's troops recorded a 5-1 thrashing of Oxford United, who were at the time managed by Liam Manning before he left for Ashton Gate in November 2023.
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With plenty of supporters of the East Midlands side believing that the 2024-25 season will be the one which delivers promotion to the Premier League, Coventry suffered a major reality check on the opening weekend, with the Sky Blues losing 1-0 at the home of Stoke City.
Despite boasting a number of attacking stars in their XI and on the bench, Mark Robins's troops were unable to breach the net of Swedish stopper Viktor Johansson, with Steven Schumacher's Potters securing maximum points courtesy of a Lewis Baker goal in the second half.
Due to an unsuccessful trip to Staffordshire on Saturday afternoon, Coventry are currently occupying 18th position in the very early Championship standings, already three points behind Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion, who recorded a 3-1 away victory on the opening weekend.
Moving from The Hawthorns to the Coventry Building Society Arena earlier this month, Brandon Thomas-Asante could be in line for his competitive debut on Tuesday night at Ashton Gate, with the Ghana international battling the likes of Ellis Simms and Haji Wright for a place in the forward line.
Coventry and Bristol City locked horns at this stage of the EFL Cup in August 2022, when a Conway brace, alongside strikes from Kal Naismith and Andreas Weimann, sealed a 4-1 win for the Robins at Burton Albion's Pirelli Stadium - the Sky Blues' temporary home as improvements were made to the pitch at the CBS Arena.
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Team News
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Bristol City remain without the services of centre-back Rob Atkinson, who suffered a groin strain at the end of pre-season and is targeting a return next month.
The Robins' options on the flanks are limited by the absence of Ross McCrorie, with the Scotland international suffering a hamstring injury over the summer.
On loan from J1 League outfit Machida Zelvia, Yu Hirakawa will be desperate to make a good impression at Ashton Gate once he recovers from an ankle issue.
Coventry come into Tuesday's clash without a key midfielder in the form of Ben Sheaf, who is set to be back in September from a leg injury.
Better news on the fitness front, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto made his first competitive appearance since February for the Sky Blues on Saturday, although it is unlikely that the attacker will start two matches in the space of four days.
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Bajic; Tanner, Naismith, Dickie, Pring; Williams, Knight, Bird; Wells, Bell, Mayulu
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Wilson; Latibeaudiere, Thomas, Binks, Bidwell; Eccles, Torp, Palmer; Wright, Thomas-Asante, Mason-Clark
We say: Bristol City 1-2 Coventry City
Bristol City will be desperate to win in front of their Ashton Gate faithful after dropping two points in the final moments at Hull on the weekend.
Coventry have a number of exciting attackers who are set to start on Tuesday even if Robins elects to rotate his XI, so we are envisaging progression into the second round for the Sky Blues.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
