MATCH FACTS

THE OPPOSITION

Bristol City begin the new decade where they would have wanted to be in August, well involved in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off race.

The Robins were one of the second tier's busiest sides in the summer, bringing in the likes of Daniel Bentley [Brentford], Jay Dasilva, Tomas Kalas, Kasey Palmer [all Chelsea], Han-Noah Massengo (pictured above) [Monaco], Ashley Williams [Everton], and Adam Nagy [Bologna].

Early signs were that City would be one of the key players in the Championship promotion race as they lost just one of their first 11 in the league and sat fourth in mid-October. However, the injuries quickly started to mount. They lost the services of Benik Afobe in September with a long-term knee-injury while Jay Dasilva, Korey Smith, Bailey Wright, and Tomas Kalas also missed extended periods of time.

Those injuries began to bite as City won just three times in the league between late October and Sunday's much-needed home win against Luton Town. That victory over The Hatters was just their fifth on home soil this term and ended a four-game losing run in the league which had threatened to derail their campaign.

THE MANAGER

Following a challenging 2016/17 campaign which saw Bristol City battle against the drop, The Robins’ transformation over the past two campaigns has seen Lee Johnson’s stock on the rise. Johnson, who enjoyed a 472 game professional career in the lower leagues, is the Championship's longest serving manager and has guided City to two top-half finishes and a League Cup semi-final in the past two seasons.

The youngest boss in the Football League when he accepted the managerial position at Oldham Athletic in 2013, Lee Johnson’s good work at Boundary Park soon caught the attention of clubs higher up the pyramid.

It was Barnsley who made a move for him in February 2015, appointing the now-36-year-old as Head Coach to replace Danny Wilson. Johnson guided Barnsley away from the relegation zone, ultimately achieving a top-half finish in League One. His last game in charge of the Tykes saw them book a place at Wembley for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final. The team Johnson left behind went on to win at Wembley twice – getting their hands on the JPT, but also securing promotion via the League One Play-Offs.

TEAM NEWS

Christian Norgaard is a doubt for tomorrow, having missed Sunday's defeat to Millwall. Sergi Canos, Josh Clarke, and Nikos Karelis will definitely miss out.

For Bristol City, Nathan Baker is expected to miss out again as he continues his recovery from a recent injury. Jay Dasilva will hope to retain his place after making his first start since August against the Hatters, but Sammie Szmodics is still sidelined with knee ligament damage, as is Benik Afobe.

PRE-MATCH BUILD UP

🆚 Hot off the Press: Gregor McGregor looks ahead to the Bank Holiday action

⚖ Ref Watch: Matthew Donohue will be the man in charge on Sunday

LAST MEETING

TICKET INFO

Tickets for tomorrow's trip to the South West have SOLD OUT. Collections will be available at Ashton Gate from 1.30pm on matchday.

HOW TO FOLLOW

iFollow Brentford will be live from 2.30pm with Mark Burridge, Mick Cabble, and Ciaran Brett bringing commentary of game against The Robins.

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