Unless you believe Huddersfield and Watford are bound for the Champions League - and by all means please do - it's never easy to plot a course for a season after five games.

Tonight's opponents for the Hornets, Bristol City, are no different, and perhaps even more challenging; erratic performances have been the order of the day far, with the only constant a series of flying starts, which have not always matched their early promise.

Head coach Lee Johnson moved to Ashton Gate 18 months ago, but swapped the changing room for the manager's office four years after he had been released by the club as a player.

He will have had a number of sleepless nights since then, with inconsistency dogging his side throughout his tenure - last season, the Robins sat fourth in October, but found themselves staring relegation in the face by April before a late-season rally took them to the relative safety of 17th.

Where they will end up this season is anyone's guess, with the only guarantee that it is unlikely to be a quiet season in the South West.

The form book

A middling five points from the opening four league games of the season have given City something to build on in the Championship. But they are without a win in three and floundered to a frustrating stalemate with Millwall at Ashton Gate on Saturday.

The League Cup has not been a happy hunting ground for City in recent years; they have only progressed beyond the first round in two of the past seven seasons, agonisingly losing out in a narrow defeat to Hull City in round four last time around.

The explosive Reds have scored seven times in the opening half-hour of their five games this campaign. But those bright starts have left them panting - and four of the five goals they have conceded have come after half-time.

Team news

Wantaway defender Aden Flint, who has been out of the squad since an opening-day cameo, could feature after Birmingham City ended their interest in the centre-half.

The £5-million rated giant has been a loss at the back, as have Milan Djuric and Matty Taylor in attack, with new signing Famara Dheidhou with only a solitary goal to his name so far.

Man to mark

Watford Observer:

Free-scoring Bobby Reid has already matched his most profitable campaign, netting four times in his new position as a second striker.

The 24-year-old was plucked out of the club's academy in 2011 but has struggled to find consistent form for the Robins, and is yet to find a settled role in the side.

But if he keeps up the sort of form which he has shown so far this campaign - and if he starts tonight - he could prove a tricky customer in between the lines.

The Watford connection

Watford Observer:

The Hornets have something of a habit of plucking Bristol City out in the cup - the two sides met most recently in the FA Cup third round in 2013/14.

After a 1-1 draw at Ashton Gate, Davide Faraoni and Lewis McGugan secured a path through to round four for Watford in the replay at Vicarage Road.

In 2003/4, Ray Lewington's side were beaten 1-0 at Ashton Gate in the second round of the then-Worthington Cup, with City exacting revenge for a defeat at the same stage two years earlier.

What they've said

Watford are likely to rotate tonight - but so are City, with assistant head coach Dean Holden confirming in the build-up to today's game there would be changes from Saturday's draw with Millwall.

He said: "We made five changes in the first round against Plymouth and put on a fantastic display.

"We’ve got a very good squad, there’s people vying for places, we’ve had a lot of games in a short amount of time and we’re playing Aston Villa on Friday, so that will come into our thinking.

"It’s a fantastic challenge for us and I’m sure the players who come in will relish going to a Premier League opposition, with a great stadium and really grab the shirt and try to keep it."