Nigel Pearson fires Derby County warning to Bristol City players ahead of weekend clash | OneFootball

Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson has warned his players they will need to be on their A-game if they want to beat bottom side Derby County tomorrow afternoon, speaking to the Robins’ media team.

Although the Rams currently sit at the bottom of the table as it stands, this is due to their 21-point deduction for their entrance into administration and breach of the EFL’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules, all-but confirming their relegation to League One as they currently sit 19 points adrift of safety.

Despite this major setback, they managed to secure a 3-2 victory over AFC Bournemouth late last month before keeping current league leaders Fulham at bay in a 0-0 draw the following Wednesday, showing their ability to compete with teams at the top of the table despite their position, administration and strict transfer embargo in the summer.

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However, they did suffer a last-minute loss against Queens Park Rangers on Monday evening, initially taking the lead through Tom Lawrence before goals from Chris Willock and Andre Gray sealed the three points for Mark Warburton’s men.

This may be a real source of encouragement for the Robins going into this match – and have the home advantage as Wayne Rooney’s men travel down to Ashton Gate in a bid to win a precious three points.

City have managed to bounce back from their poor run of home form in 2021, going unbeaten in their last three games as hosts, but their boss Pearson believes they can’t take this weekend’s clash lightly as he spoke ahead of this tie.

The 58-year-old said to Robins TV: “The situation they are in, in terms of the deductions are really tough but I think probably what it has done is free them up a little bit.

“In difficult circumstances I think they’ve conducted themselves very well actually, the staff and the players and they do have some good players.

“We’ll need to be on our game, just because of the situation they’re in, it doesn’t mean it’s an easy game, they’re a decent side and we’ve got to make sure we’re at our best.”

The Verdict:

Knowing that they need a victory to give themselves the best possible chance of achieving a miracle in staying up, Derby will come out on the front foot and cause problems for the hosts, making this a potentially uncomfortable afternoon for Pearson’s men.

They may be in a perilous position, but the club have been freed from the shackles of further points deduction rumours and with that now behind them, they can express themselves freely now they know what they need to achieve.

The fact they also have several young players including Lewis Thompson is also a danger, because they will already be full of enthusiasm, have no fear and are desperate to prove to Rooney that they should be included in the first team for the long term.

However, gaps are starting to appear in the East Midlands side’s defence as they look to take more chances in attack, potentially providing a real opportunity for the likes of Chris Martin and Andreas Weimann a real chance to exploit holes in their backline.

This is why the Robins should be excited for this game – because whilst Derby bring a threat – there’s also a great chance of extending their unbeaten run at Ashton Gate and providing their attackers with plenty of confidence going into the Christmas period.

Considering their recent run on the road, they need to get this victory under their belt.