Bristol City v Crystal Palace Preview

Posted on | August 14, 2009 | No Comments

Two years ago these two sides met in the play offs although now, it appears that only one will be challenging for such heights. Bristol City spent extravagantly during the summer and are expected to challenge for the top six, whereas Crystal Palace have tightened the purse strings and a mid-table finish looks more likely for Neil Warnock’s men.

It’s clear that Bristol City mean business this season after becoming one of the most active clubs in the division this summer. However, if they are to be a threat, they will have to improve their concentration levels. The Robins looked to be heading for three points on the opening day of the season only to concede a 96^th minute penalty to Preston, which would deny them the victory. They scrambled a win over Brentford in the Carling Cup but already, it seems Gary Johnson’s men could need time to gel. On a more positive note, it looks as though Johnson’s summer recruits are already turning out to be successful. Paul Hartley and David Clarkson, two players signed during pre-season, were both on the score sheet last Saturday while Lewin Nyatanga and Danny Haynes also made a good impact.

Both of Crystal Palace’s opening fixtures have been against Devon sides, where they played Plymouth last Saturday before hosting Torquay in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night. Having gone behind early against the Pilgrims they did well to nick a 1-1 draw, while the Torquay saw them come away with a 1-0 victory. However, this season is certainly going to be a slog and the main aim has to be to steer clear away from relegation. While Palace were considered promotion contenders not so long ago, Simon Jordan’s decision to withdraw funding has left them with lots of financial problems. This has meant that Warnock has been unable to strengthen significantly and instead, has had to cut the wage bill.

As for team news, Bristol City just have the one problem for this one as Danny Haynes serves a one match suspension following a red card on Tuesday. This means that Gary Johnson will have to do some reshuffling, with David Clarkson likely to be the preferred choice as Haynes’ replacement. Crystal Palace have been given some relief after it was revealed that Darren Ambrose would be fit to play following a shoulder injury, while Freddie Sears and Nick Carle are back in contention after international duty. However, striker Stern John won’t feature as he recovers from an elbow problem.

Bristol City haven’t yet lost a league home game in 2009, meaning they have to be favorites for this game. They strengthened heavily in the summer and as they also hold the upper hand over Palace in terms of head-to-head, we’re going for a 2-1 Robins victory.

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