Rob Atkinson, Max Bird, Joe Williams: Bristol City injury latest ahead of Robins' Preston trip | Bristol Live

Gerhard Struber has shared the latest injury news from the Bristol City camp ahead of the Robins' clash with Preston at Deepdale

Bristol City will "do everything" to ensure Rob Atkinson is able to be involved against Preston North End, Gerhard Struber has explained, but Max Bird will not be ready to feature against the Lilywhites this weekend.

The Robins travel to Deepdale to face Paul Heckingbottom's side on Saturday afternoon as they look to bounce back from their defeat to Oxford United last time out. City missed the chance to move three points clear of fifth-placed Preston and up to second in the Championship as they were beaten 3-1 by the U's at Ashton Gate.

Just 15 minutes into the meeting with Gary Rowett's side last Sunday, Struber was forced into an early change as Rob Atkinson was forced off with what the Reds head coach confirmed, after the full-time whistle, to be a knee injury.

Given the defender's injury history, supporters were understandably worried about the severity of the issue, particularly as the City boss was unsure at that stage of the finer details. However, there is a chance Atkinson could feature against the Lilywhites, depending on the pain he is experiencing come Saturday.

“We do everything that he is back on the weekend," the head coach explained in his pre-match press conference. "Right now he’s not involved in the training, but first of all, and this is the most important thing, everything’s good with the ligaments.

"This was a little bit of a wrong move, and in the end, the bone kiss - a special word, I hear it the first time, and I was also laughing. It was a bone kiss, in the knee, I’d never heard it before, so this is a little bit of a bruise.

"When he can deal with the pain in a way that he can play, then it looks good for the weekend."

Before concerns around the fitness of Atkinson arose on Sunday afternoon, supporters were quick to notice that Bird was nowhere to be seen in the Reds' matchday squad to face Oxford, despite featuring in some capacity in each of the Robins' previous six games in all competitions.

When asked about the midfielder's absence post-game, Struber explained that the 24-year-old had sustained a calf injury in training, but hoped that it was not as severe as the one he picked up during pre-season. Bird missed almost the entirety of the Reds' preparations for the new campaign and the opening day win over Sheffield United.

Although the exact severity of the issue still remains unclear, the former Derby County player won't feature at Deepdale and is understandably frustrated to be on the sidelines once again.

"We have not super good news about Max Bird," Struber admitted. "He has again an injury on his calf and we have to look the next few days how everything will go, but right now, he’s not available on the weekend.

"We have to wait for the one or other specialist and look a little bit deeper, but it looks at the moment not so good that he is back soon. I cannot say it’s exactly the same as what he had in pre-season, but at the moment, the situation looks not great and we have to be patient.

"I will give you an update when we have a clear diagnosis and a clear decision on how long it will take, the injury."

When asked about the midfielder's emotions after the setback, the City boss added, "He’s super frustrated. He was so close right now, and we have so many conversations the last few days about it, so the frustration is super high.

"On the same time, it’s sport. Football is not always easy; it’s a bumpy street, a bumpy road where he has to go right now, but we help in all directions so that he can come back as soon as possible. But the situation, for him right now, is not easy.”

With Bird ruled out, the Robins' midfield options now appear rather limited. While both Jason Knight and Adam Randell have impressed in the first month and a half of the new season, behind them, City do not have another fit, senior central midfielder to call upon, as Joe Williams also remains sidelined.

The 28-year-old hasn't featured for the Reds since the first leg of last season's play-off semi-final, where he suffered an ankle ligament injury.

There had been hope he would be fit and available for the start of this term, but Williams had a setback in his recovery last month, which the club suggested would see him out of action for eight weeks.

On the midfielder's condition, Struber told Bristol Live, "Also, in this way, we have to be patient. I think he will need also more weeks [so] that he’s in the end, on the field. With everything what happened in the past with him, and I think in this way, we have to wait.

"I think these are two big key players for us that we miss, but at the same time, we have to deal with that, and that’s sometimes the challenge when you have so many games and of course, also, I would say, players in a little bit of a new identity.”