Bristol City manager Micheal Skubala is still searching for his first win as his team prepares to host Portsmouth in the EFL Championship this weekend. The Robins, currently 12th in the league with four points from three games, drew 2-2 away at Birmingham last time out.
Micheal Skubala took charge after a difficult start to the campaign and is yet to record a win. His team halted a run of two straight losses with that draw at St Andrew's. They sit five points behind early leaders Charlton Athletic. Skubala will hope the return of central midfielder Adam Randell from a one-match suspension provides a boost. Randell was banned after picking up two yellow cards in the defeat to Millwall.
City have some fitness concerns to manage, however. Defender Cameron Pring and new striker signing Elijah Adebayo are both carrying issues. The club has no other major injury worries ahead of the fixture.
Bristol City have a strong historical record against Portsmouth, having beaten them 25 times to Pompey's 15 victories. That dominance was emphatically displayed last season. The Robins went unbeaten in their two meetings, securing a 5-0 home win and a 3-0 triumph on the road. Both clubs suffered early exits from the Carabao Cup this term, with City losing to Walsall and Portsmouth being defeated by West Ham.
All eyes will be on Bristol City's left-back Rio Cardines. The Trinidad and Tobago international, on loan from Crystal Palace, earned a spot in the EFL Team of the Week after a brilliant display against Birmingham. He is likely to be tasked with containing Portsmouth's exciting young winger, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen. The 17-year-old Chelsea loanee scored in Pompey's last match, a 3-1 away win at Lincoln.
Portsmouth manager John Mousinho welcomes centre-back Regan Poole back from a hamstring issue that kept him out of the Lincoln game. Winger Josh Murphy is out with a groin injury sustained last Saturday. A predicted Bristol City lineup features Max Tickle in goal, with a back four of George Tanner, Rob Dickie, Youssef Eissat and Cardines. The midfield could see Randell partner Joe Williams and Jason Knight, supporting an attacking trio of Jed Wallace, Scott Twine, Shandon Hirakawa and striker Shola Tolaj.
Portsmouth may line up with goalkeeper Toby Schmid, a defence of James Devlin, Zak Swanson, Poole or Conor Shaughnessy, and Joe Rafferty. The midfield trio could be Marlon Pack, Terry Devlin and Abu Kamara, behind forwards Adrian Segecic, Colby Bishop and Kavuma-McQueen. Segecic also scored in the win at Lincoln, alongside Ebou Adams.
This match is a key opportunity for Skubala to build momentum before a quick turnaround. Bristol City have scored four goals and conceded five in the league so far, giving them a minus-one goal difference. Following the Portsmouth clash, attention immediately turns to an away trip to face Preston North End on Tuesday, September 1st. The full schedule is available on our fixtures page. How the team performs in these games will shape their early position in the standings.
