Ed Francis in: The predicted Exeter City XI to face Rotherham on Saturday | OneFootball

Ryan Woods will miss the game, but how might Exeter City line up for their opening League One match of 2024/25?

Exeter City face a tough start to their 2024/25 League One campaign and host Rotherham United in the season opener on Saturday evening.

And it’s unlikely to be a repeat of last season’s curtain raiser against Wycombe Wanderers where the Grecians were 1-0 up within 30 seconds thanks to Jack Aitchison and 2-0 up after four minutes courtesy of a Will Amison goal.

They went on to win 3-0 with James Scott putting the cherry on the cake and that result alone is an example of how much change has taken place at Exeter over the last 12 months.

The opening month of the season looks set to be a testing time for Exeter, who face four teams with bonafide automatic promotion hopes and a Northampton Town side looking to kick on after establishing themselves in the third tier.

A good performance and result against the Millers feels all the more important given the tough run coming up so how’s Gary Caldwell going to line City up for their first game of the new campaign?

Given their tricky start and the strength of Rotherham’s squad, it feels like the Grecians will go with five at the back in a bid to build a solid foundation with most of the league's big hitters all to come before the halfway point of September.

GK: Joe Whitworth

City’s New No.1 Joe Whitworth will get the nod here and it will be fascinating to see how the shot-stopper gets on in his first League One engagement.

Many are predicting Exeter to struggle this term so his performances will be vital to this being a good season for Caldwell’s crew.

Caldwell could well decide to go with a bit of consistency in a much-changed defence and opt for Ilmari Niskanen over Jack McMillan at right wing-back.

This is a bit of a toss-up, but with two of his first-choice defenders from last season departing the club, the versatile Finn could be the logical pick over the new arrival.

RCB: Pierce Sweeney

Pierce Sweeney is also likely to start for the same reason as given above.

The City stalwart looks fitter than last term and has featured prominently throughout pre-season. He will probably be on the right of the three central defenders.

CB: Tristan Crama

City’s boss said Tristian Crama was his No.1 target this summer and he started and scored against Eastleigh in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday.

Perhaps he’ll swap positions slightly with Sweeney but it feels like the pair will both start.

LCB: Johnly Yfeko

The towering Johnly Yfeko could make his competitive City debut against the Millers on Saturday evening.

The left-footed defender also started against Eastleigh and if he’s in the middle it allows the defensive-minded Ben Purrington to start at left wing-back.

LWB: Ben Purrington

Talking of Purrington, the former Charlton and Plymouth man looked handy enough after joining in January 2024.

Given that City might be looking to keep Rotherham at bay on Saturday, he’s got a good chance of starting ahead of the more attacking Vincent Harper, who could come on later if Caldwell's looking to change the game.

DCM: Ed Francis

The fact that City actually paid a fee for Ed Francis from Gateshead this summer speaks volumes and he joins a fairly exclusive list of players who haven’t been signed on a free or on loan.

City fans are hoping he’s a more progressive and mobile upgrade on Tom Carroll and we'll get our first proper look at him on Saturday.

DCM: Reece Cole

With Ryan Woods suspended following his red card on the final day of the last campaign, Caldwell will start this season making compromises in midfield and Reece Cole could be the man to play deeper than usual.

Cole and Francis could be a lightweight combination, but the two ball players would help City spring counterattacks with their progressive passing.

AM: Millenic Alli

City forward Millenic Alli might also be slightly out of position in this game if he gets the nod in the positions behind the striker over Caleb Watts. Yanic Wildschut may have started here but for what looks like a nasty injury picked up at the weekend.

Alli will be able to pull out wide and push up in attack and can provide a versatile option. He may even start up top with Josh Magennis or as a winger with Jack Aitchison also playing wider than usual.

AM: Jack Aitchison

Jack Aitchison works his socks off and is a goal threat, despite his fair share of bad luck in the box last season.

He likes to sit between the lines and can also get up and to support the striker. It would be a surprise if he didn't start.

CF: Josh Magennis

Alli and Josh Magennis might be battling it out for the centre-forward spot throughout the season but we could also see both starting together up front at points.

However, this could be a backs-to-the-wall job with a bit of a reshuffle and Magennis’ experience leading the line will be much needed against quality opposition with Alli probably filling in elsewhere.