O’Leary starts: The predicted Bristol City XI to face Blackpool on Saturday

Bristol City may only have come away with a point against Preston North End last weekend but the performance left Robins supporters feeling positive about what the future holds under Nigel Pearson.

City dominated throughout but as it has time and again this term, poor game management ultimately cost them.

While focus elsewhere may be on some appetising FA Cup ties, the Robins travel up to Bloomfield Road to take on a Blackpool side that sit one place above them in the league table.

Neil Critchley’s team have been hugely impressive in their first season back in the Championship and earned a hard-fought point against Fulham last weekend.

They’re not a team to be taken lightly and with that in mind, we’ve outlined the starting XI we expect Pearson to name for tomorrow’s game…

Max O’Leary has been Pearson’s first choice in recent weeks and despite question marks over his part in keeping out Preston’s goals, he looks likely to reprise his role with Dan Bentley still on the bench.

Ahead of him, Rob Atkinson and Ryley Towler will be absent as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.

Atkinson is suffering with a calf issue while Towler has just returned to the grass after time out with a back injury.

That means that a back three of new arrival Timm Klose, Tomas Kalas, and Cam Pring look likely to start once again.

On the flanks, it would be no surprise to see Callum O’Dowda on the left and Jay Dasilva in an inverted wing-back role on the right.

With Matty James and Andy King both missing – the latter potentially out for the season after undergoing a second surgery on his hamstring injury – Han-Noah Massengo and Alex Scott are in line to start in central midfield once again.

The young duo controlled the game for