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Match Previews

BIG MATCH PREVIEW | BRISTOL ROVERS (HOME)

1 September 2017

Match Previews

BIG MATCH PREVIEW | BRISTOL ROVERS (HOME)

1 September 2017

Stuart McCall's Bantams entertain Bristol Rovers at the Northern Commercials Stadium this Saturday (2 September 2017) in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

The Bantams head into the game having netted seven goals in their last two games, including four in their midweek victory over Chesterfield in the Checkatrade Trophy.

McCall's men will be looking to return to winning ways on home soil this weekend after losing their long-running unbeaten league record at Valley Parade against Blackburn Rovers two weeks ago.

After losing their opening two matches, in-form opponents Bristol Rovers have won their last four league and cup games.

Supporters are reminded that this Saturday's match will kick off at 12:30pm.

Team News

Bradford City
Should the club receive international clearances in time, deadline day signing Lukas Raeder is expected to be in City's match-day squad for the visit of Bristol Rovers.

The 23 year-old goalkeeper is likely to take his place on the bench, with fellow German shot-stopper Rouven Sattelmaier sidelined for possibly the next 6-8 weeks due to a hamstring problem.

Timothee Dieng will also miss out on the Bristol Rovers match. The Frenchman is expected to be out for at least the next couple of weeks with a calf problem.

Tom Field is in contention to make a return after limping out of last Saturday's 3-3 draw at Walsall with a hamstring problem.

Adam Chicksen, complete with protective mask, returned to full contact training this Thursday after fracturing his cheekbone on the opening day against Blackpool.

Returning skipper Romain Vincelot is available once again for a league fixture for the first time since the Blackpool game.

Recent loan signing Adam Thompson and new Bantams team-mate Shay McCartan are both away with Northern Ireland.

Bristol Rovers
Pirates central defenders Tom Lockyer and Ryan Sweeney are both expected to miss the game as the duo are currently away on international duty.

Lockyer is involved in the Welsh national side, while Sweeney has been called up by the Republic of Ireland U21s.

Fellow defenders Tom Broadbent and Jonathan Burn are likely to replace Lockyer and Sweeney at Valley Parade.

Midfielder Stuart Sinclair could miss the trip to Bradford after limping out of last Saturday's win over Fleetwood Town with a groin injury.

Sinclair could be replaced in Rovers' line up by Chris Lines, while Ellis Harrison will also be looking for a place in the Pirates' starting XI.

Billy Bodin is expected to be given a starting berth for Rovers at the weekend after the Pirates knocked back reported deadline day interest in the highly-rated attacker.

Head-to-Head
A look at the two sides' recent records - HERE

Five Things
Five possible talking points ahead of Saturday's match - HERE.

Stadium Access Details
Important stadium access and entry arrangements for Saturday - HERE.

Match Officials
A look at the set of officials for this Saturday's game - HERE.

Season Ticket Collections
Important information for fans still to collect their season tickets - HERE.

The Parader
Take a look inside Saturday's match-day magazine - HERE.

Tickets
Match ticket information for home games - HERE

Win The Shirt Off My Back
City's new raffle ticket prize draw game back for this Saturday. For further details - HERE.

Back the Bantams with Sky Bet!
City supporters can back the Bantams for success this Saturday against Bristol Rovers with Sky Bet!

McCall's side are currently priced at 5/4 to defeat Bristol Rovers at the Northern Commercials Stadium.

Charlie Wyke is available at 5/1 to opening the scoring, while Omari Patrick can be backed at 11/4 to score at anytime during the game.

Fans can place their bets now with Sky Bet by clicking HERE.

There is currently 135 separate betting markets open for this game.

Please note, odds are subject to change.

Coverage
For those unable to get to the Northern Commercials Stadium on Saturday, City supporters can follow live updates from the Bristol Rovers game via the club's official Facebook and Twitter pages.           

Full audio match commentary of the Bristol Rovers match can be found via iFollow Bantams. Keep up to date with BBC Radio Leeds' Tim Steere for match action and reaction from the game.

Post-match interviews from Stuart McCall and his players, plus extended match highlights over the coming days, is also available via iFollow.

On top of all that, iFollow subscribers can get interviews, action, previous encounters and highlights as well in the build up to Saturday's match.

The official website, Twitter and Facebook pages will also have post-match reaction from the City camp following the Bristol Rovers game.

iFollow Bantams - HERE
Facebook - HERE
Twitter - HERE

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