The new season is upon us and first up are Ipswich Town.
They had the luck on their side last time the two teams met in April when despite going a man down when Lee Martin was sent off in the first half, the visitors stil won thanks to a second half goal from Josh Carson.
Now the two sides have changed slightly and Keith Millen wont be wanting to see his side slip up like that again. He will be hoping that City can get off to a good start having the home advantage, but with both sides having suspect defences, we may be in for a few goals to start the season with a bang.
City fans are expecting a better season than the last one and the pressure will be on Millen and his side to deliver, lets hope they can stand that pressure
Vital Quotes:
Keith Millen ‘I have virtually a full-strength squad to pick from and I would like to think we will be organised and well prepared.
‘Pre-season has gone well and everything has been done that can be done to ensure the players are ready to produce the goods on the pitch.
‘The players are not just medically fit, they are also physically fit. We have done a lot of tests on them over the summer and they are in better shape than last year. That should give them the confidence to know that their fitness is as good as anyone else in this league.
‘There were difficult circumstances that took a long time to sort out last year, but we cannot use those as an excuse any more.’
Bristol City Team News:
Jamie McAllister is an injury doubt for Bristol City after damaging his calf during a friendly against West Brom.
With defenders Damion Stewart and Christian Ribeiro out injured, boss Keith Millen has re-signed Jordan Spence on loan from West Ham.
Player to watch: Nicky Maynard
He is the one City fans expect to deliver and he will be looking to get off to a good start.
Ipswich Town Team News:
Ipswich boss Paul Jewell has a fully-fit squad available.
David Stockdale, Ivar Ingimarsson, Lee Bowyer, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Michael Chopra and Nathan Ellington are vying to make their debuts.
Player to watch: Michael Chopra
A £1.5 million bargain from Cardiff in the summer and has already stated his intent for the new season by finding the net four times so far in pre season games.
We know him well and he needs to be watched.
Match Facts & Stats
Ipswich are unbeaten in six league matches against the Robins (W3, D3), and are looking for a third consecutive win.
Bristol City have failed to score in their last four matches in this fixture.
(BBC)
Match Prediction:
This just has to be a high scoring game. I’ll go for 3-2 to the Robins
Next Fixtures:
Carling Cup 09 Aug 2011 Bristol C v Swindon
Championship 14 Aug 2011 Cardiff v Bristol C
Championship 17 Aug 2011 Leicester v Bristol C
Championship 20 Aug 2011 Bristol C v Portsmouth
