Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber opted not to risk Emil Riis during the Robins’ win over Birmingham City at Ashton GateBristol City boss Gerhard Struber has provided an update on Emil Riis’ fitness(Image: Getty Images and EFL)

Emil Riis is “still on track” to be available to feature against Stoke City, Gerhard Struber has confirmed, but the Bristol City boss has explained the Robins’ “big mission” when it comes to dealing with his side’s current injury situation.

The Reds travel to the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon, where they’ll look to stretch their recent winning run to four matches against a Stoke side that has started well under Mark Robins this term. The Potters currently sit fifth in the Championship, a single place and single point behind City after 12 games.

Riis was left out of the Robins’ matchday squad against Birmingham City last time out, with the decision taken not to risk the Danish forward after he had felt his hamstring during the win over Southampton earlier that same week. In his absence, Sinclair Armstrong led the line and scored what proved to be the winning goal.

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In the wake of the win over the Blues, Struber was hopeful that Riis would be ready and able to return to the fold against Stoke this weekend. While that optimism appears to have been well placed, the Reds will need to wait a little bit longer for their other injury absentees to be available once again.

“Yes, this is still on track,” the head coach said in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday. “Emil is back, everything is good, and he is available on Saturday.

“No,” Struber added when asked if any new injuries had been picked up or if anyone was close to returning. “All the old topics that we have around Birdy, Knighty, Joe Williams, and Harry Cornick – of course, we have some players that are not available on Saturday, but they work very hard on their comeback.

“The other players are available if nothing happens between [now and Stoke].”

Although City have performed well in the opening months of the season, as demonstrated by their early league position, injuries in the Reds’ camp have made things more challenging for Struber and his players so far this term.

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Particularly in midfield, the Robins have been down to their bare bones for much of the last month, with all of Jason Knight, Max Bird, and Williams sidelined. In defence, the Austrian has been unable to call upon either Cam Pring or Luke McNally, while both Josh Stokes and Cornick have been limited to brief appearances as a result of a metatarsal and groin injury, respectively.

In Knight, Bird, and Williams’ absences, Zak Vyner and Adam Randell have impressed in the middle of the park, but it was clear during the closing exchanges of City’s win over Birmingham that both players were feeling the effects of three matches in eight days.

With another three games on the agenda over the course of a week, starting with Saturday’s trip to Stoke, Struber and those working alongside him at the HPC are working hard to not only help those on the sidelines return from their respective issues, but stay fit when they reintegrate back into the first-team fold.

“Of course, we can speak about how impressive it is that the boys work really well together and are really well connected,” Struber explained. “At the same time, I am very unhappy [about] how we have a situation like that.

“This is also something that makes me thoughtful that we have, in the end, players not available, and we work hard [so] that we have a better picture in this way. But right now, it’s a very small roster, and especially in the last game, we could see how close it was, in the end, to bring the points home, and also, how we have to deal in moments like that with a little bit of a different setting to bring the points home.

“I would like that, in the end, we have always, in every game, fresh legs so that we can play our typical style of play.”

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When asked by Bristol Live if he could put his finger on why City had so many injuries, the City boss added, “Of course, this is a really high load of games and this is something where we have to be better and we have to improve also in our direction how we can stop re-injuries better.

“In this direction, I think everyone here has a big mission. It’s not only that we play really good football on a really high level – we have a little bit of a smaller roster available, like other teams, and we have to be – in every department – on a really high level with how we deal with injuries and how we bring players back. In this direction, of course, we can improve.

“I think we did many things right, but at the same time, in the one or other reintegration, I would say that we could maybe do it differently,” he continued. “After something, we are always smart and we can speak cleverly, but in the end, I think we should learn about something, and we have to be very professional with how we bring the boys back.

“With which load, with which programme, and we should never forget the intensity that I expect from them, when they jump on the field, is a little bit different [to what it was] before. In this direction, I have no problems when we need a little bit of a longer time, but then it’s a safety way and they are safely back. This is what I expect.”

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