Bristol Rovers predicted team vs Wycombe: O'Donkor pushing for first start with changes expected

Bristol Rovers host Wycombe Wanderers this afternoon looking to put an end to a run of three consecutive defeats

None of these predicted teams have been straightforward to put together so far this season, but you certainly feel as though this weekend's game at home to Wycombe Wanderers is a particularly tough one to accurately extract what Matt Taylor is thinking in regards to team selection.

Changes are going to happen. That's a guarantee. After Bristol Rovers were so poor for the first 60 minutes of their defeat at Peterborough United last weekend before completely switching and playing some of their best football of the season for the final half hour in which they scored two goals and almost snatched an unlikely result, there is no doubt that the starting 11 this afternoon will be different in some capacity to last Saturday's.

Goalscorers Luke McCormick and Gatlin O'Donkor have great chances to start after their impacts from the bench while Grant Ward and Luke Thomas also came on and made a notably positive impact.

Admittedly, Taylor is having to manage the minutes of a lot of his players with a handful, in his words, still not fit enough to complete 90 minutes without their game worsening as time goes on in a match.

Although the squad is in a largely healthy state, Rovers don't have the depth for Taylor to make 11 changes even if he wanted to. That, of course, would be completely unecessary but there will be players who will no doubt keep their shirts but are in need of major improvement following not only the Peterborough defeat but also the 4-0 hammering to Wigan Athletic last time out at home.

Supporters will be heading to the Mem looking for and expecting a reaction and there are players in this roster who deserve to show them what they can do from the off. It is simply a question of how many changes there will be. We've given it our best crack once again...

Goalkeeper and defence

As we've said every week, it's a no-brainer in between the sticks with Josh Griffiths the undisputed number one. Although he conceded three goals, the goalkeeper responded well to his mistake the weekend prior at Peterborough with a couple of good stops. Of course, he's still played better in a Rovers shirt but he certainly wasn't to blame for any of the goals shipped.

However, with no new back-up 'keeper picked up from the free agent market, it once again looks as though the Gas are set to have no goalkeeper on the bench. It's always risky and any moment Griffiths might look in pain or uncomfortable, spectators' hearts will very much be in their mouths.

Ahead of the 23-year-old, it will be interesting to see if Taylor makes any alterations in defence because nine goals conceded in the last three simply has to be notably improved on.

Even if the Rovers manager wanted to make changes at centre-back, the only available option right now is Michael Forbes with Taylor Moore still suspended. The West Ham United loanee featured in a midweek friendly against Cheltenham Town in order to get his minutes up but hasn't looked close to the starting 11 in the league so far.

Therefore, it does seem as though the defensive trio will remain Connor Taylor, James Wilson and Clinton Mola. Taylor was on press duties earlier this week and insisted that his teammates are under no illusions and know that they have to bounce back. There certainly needs to be some sort of response from the backline.

Midfield

This is where it starts to get a bit tricky. Starting with the wing-backs, the impact from the bench provided by Thomas after the 25-year-old had been dropped was exactly how it should have been. After a couple of uncharacteristically quiet displays, the wide man came on and looked dangerous in the final third, playing with a point to prove.

Thomas' introduction saw Lino Sousa swap over from the right-hand side to his preferred left and there is very little doubt that the Aston Villa loanee was Rovers' best outfield player that started the game against Peterborough. Positive, energetic and exciting, there was plenty to like about the 19-year-old who also had a decent first half against Wigan before being taken off at the break. Bryant Bilongo has enjoyed a surprisingly impressive start to his Gas career but this may well be the first time the 23-year-old experiences dropping out of the team.

In the middle, neither Jamie Lindsay nor Kamil Conteh set the world alight against Posh whereas Ward now seems fit enough to start again after a minor setback. Conteh has been a regular in the league side while his tank is capable of lasting the whole game, something that can't currently be said for either Lindsay or Ward it seems. However, Lindsay is still just coming back from a medial ligament issue that has prevented the Scotsman from fully announcing himself as a Rovers player.

If you were to guess, it would seem as though Ward will find his way back into the side with one of Conteh or Lindsay partnering him. Due to longevity reasons, our prediction is that it will be the former who keeps his place. You also can't rule out a return to the side for Jake Garrett but, after the midfielder didn't feature against Peterborough, it seems unlikely.

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Ahead in the slightly more advanced role, Kofi Shaw certainly has a claim to keep his place after being one of the brighter Gas players against Peterborough as the 17-year-old made his first league start. However, you can't ignore McCormick's contribution from the bench.

It wasn't just the goal but also the way in which the attack-minded midfielder buzzed around in the final third and made himself available everywhere. If he is to start, the 25-year-old needs to make an impact from the off to silence any suggestions that he's best as an impact substitute.

Strikers

"Gats plays next week, there's no question about that," was a line taken from a particularly irate post-match interview with Taylor in the aftermath of the defeat at London Road. O'Donkor came on and made more than just impact, setting up McCormick for his goal before opening his account for the Gas less than two minutes later to give Rovers real hope that they could complete the comeback.

It seems inevitable that the Oxford United loanee will start this afternoon but it's about whose place he takes. In terms of goals scored, Promise Omochere has two compared to Ruel Sotiriou's one but the latter scored more recently and has been more effective in recent games.

Omochere's hold up play has been outstanding while Sotiriou seems to be more nimble. It's a case of which trait compliments O'Donkor's qualities best.

Regardless of who would drop out, there is little doubt that they would be brought onto the pitch with plenty of time to go given that neither summer recruit can last a full 90 minutes without it severely impacting their game. It's a close call but the gut feeling is that Taylor will stick with the Gas' record-signing with Sotiriou dropping out.

Bristol Rovers XI (3-4-1-2): Josh Griffiths; Connor Taylor, James Wilson, Clinton Mola; Luke Thomas, Kamil Conteh, Grant Ward, Lino Sousa; Luke McCormick; Gatlin O'Donkor, Promise Omochere