Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock has paid tribute to his Bristol City counterpart Gary Johnson ahead of their meeting at Selhurst Park tomorrow.

The game will be the fifth time the pair have locked horns in the past 11 months after the Robins knocked the Eagles out of the Championship play-offs last season.

Of those games the Eagles won just once, a 2-0 victory at Selhurst in January, while Bristol came out on top twice in the two play-off fixtures, and Warnock admitted he was looking forward to seeing pint-sized Johnson again.

He said: “They have started off better than us and he is a good manager, he has signed a five-year deal which is unheard of in the Championship.

“I think both teams know each other quite well and we have had some good games against them and done well.”

Palace midfielder Nick Carle will be desperate to regain his starting place for the visit of the club he left in the summer and Warnock revealed the Australian has impressed him since relegated to the bench three games ago.

He said: “Nick is a good professional and played well in the reserves the other night.

“He doesn’t have to tell me he wants to play, I imagine he is desperate to play against them.”

Palace will be without the suspended Matt Lawrence on Saturday, while James Scowcroft, Alan Lee, Neil Danns and Danny Butterfield are all likely to miss out through injury.

Goalkeeper Julian Speroni is hopeful of overcoming a groin injury to return in goal.