Coventry City hope to play host to Bristol City in the EFL Cup first round on Wednesday evening after Sunday's home fixture with Rotherham United was postponed due to the poor condition of their pitch.

Meanwhile, Bristol City make the trip to the Ricoh Arena on the back of successive defeats in the Championship.

Match preview

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To say that Mark Robins is currently frustrated with the current state of the pitch at the Ricoh Arena is an understatement, acknowledging that it is "nowhere near" to being in the expected condition.

With just three extra days to rectify the situation, there feels a strong possibility that Wednesday's encounter will also be postponed, a situation which is threatening to create an early backlog of fixtures for the Midlands side.

Robins had wanted to build some momentum after the opening-weekend draw with Sunderland, his side netting an equaliser during the closing stages through Viktor Gyokeres.

If Coventry end a 10-day break between fixtures with a game on Wednesday, it may lead to Robins selecting a far stronger side than he had initially planned.

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From the perspective of Bristol City, they appear to be back to square one having suffered demoralising defeats in their first two matches.

They frequently undermined their efforts during the last campaign by dropping points from winning positions, and that has been the case against Hull City and Sunderland.

On Saturday, the Robins had initially come from behind to lead the latter by a 2-1 scoreline, only to find themselves trailing again 21 minutes later.

Nigel Pearson admitted after that setback to the Black Cats that his side must improve defensively if they are to avoid enduring a second "tough" season on the bounce.

While that is likely to prove far easier said than done, some different faces should get the opportunity to impress on Wednesday night.

Team News

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Coventry's starting lineup is likely to look similar to the one which started at the Stadium of Light on July 31.

Kasey Palmer may be promoted to the starting lineup after coming through 28 minutes on his return from injury.

Martyn Waghorn should also make an appearance at some stage after also recently recovering from a calf problem.

Matty James is expected to be absent for Bristol City after missing out through injury against Sunderland at the weekend.

With Pearson having said that he is happy with the fitness of his players, he may hand opportunities to several of his squad members.

Max O'Leary, Kane Wilson, Timm Klose, Andy King, Tommy Conway and Nahki Wells could all be given recalls.

Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Moore; Hyam, McFadzean, Panzo; Eccles, Palmer, Sheaf, Hamer, Bidwell; Godden; Gyokeres

Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O'Leary; Klose, Naismith, Atkinson; Wilson, Massengo, King, Dasilva; Scott; Conway, Wells

We say: Coventry City 2-1 Bristol City

Playing one less fixture at this stage of the season may prove to be detrimental in terms of match fitness. Nevertheless, that will only mean that Coventry are more likely to field a stronger side, leading us to predict a Sky Blues success by the odd goal in three.

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