Steve Coppell will not take any risks with the fitness of James Wilson and Christian Ribeiro.
Coppell taking cautious approach with Ribeiro and Wilson
Bristol City manager Steve Coppell will not take any risks with the fitness of James Wilson and Christian Ribeiro as the duo recover from injury.
New Robins chief Coppell found himself without the services of five players as the Championship club returned for pre-season training this week.
Marlon Jackson, Jamie McAllister and Louis Carey are short-term absentees, but Wales pair Wilson and Ribeiro are nursing knee and back problems respectively.
Coppell told the club's official website: "Christian's going to be out for a while (with the back injury). He's had it before, but I think it was exacerbated by playing for Wales when he perhaps shouldn't have done.
"With back problems you have to just let them heal at their own pace. I had a back problem last year and it took time to shake off.
"James has a knee problem and tendon issues are also difficult to shift. We're making sure that once it goes away, it goes away for good. We don't want to force anything and make the injury reoccur.
"They are both good players with bright futures so we're erring on the side of caution."
