The final match in the Sky Bet Championship prior to the international break takes place on Sunday afternoon when two rivals meet as Swansea City play host to Bristol City in a game both will be eager to win.
In the overall scheme of things bragging rights is pretty much all that is at stake here as neither side is going places this term. There is no TV coverage of this game.
Swansea City
Things continue to just meander along for Swansea City but you sense something is going to have to give with them eventually. The style of football that Russell Martin likes his team to play is very modern and pleasing on the eye but when there is no end product and as a result the results are poor you kind of feel it is only a matter of time before something gives and it is likely to be the manager. It kind of feels we are in that slipstream where everyone is waiting for that change to happen.
Swansea head into this derby clash without a win in their last six matches and the loss at Millwall in midweek was very symptomatic of their season as a whole. There they dominated the game, couldn’t do enough with the multiple opportunities that they created for themselves and then not for the first time in recent times a huge error from their keeper cost them dearly. Swansea need to be a lot more ruthless in both boxes but it feels like we’ve been saying that for far too long so there is nothing to suggest the penny is going to drop anytime soon.
Bristol City
There was a period not so long ago where Bristol City were threatening to launch a late run to sneak into the play-offs but then they ran into Manchester City in the FA Cup and that seems to have impacted their form negatively and now their season is in danger of just fizzing out into another campaign of nothingness with them not going down and needing something of a miracle to be involved in the top six shake up from here. It us all about finishing the campaign well and carrying some confidence into next season.
The Robins were beaten at Luton on Wednesday evening which means they make the short trip across the border with just one win in their last four league matches. That has seen them fall 12pts off the top six and with just nine games remaining and a bunch of teams to pass, reaching that position is basically a pipedream. Bristol City also have to deal with having had 24 hours less to prepare for this game as Swansea played at Millwall on Tuesday. Motivation might be hard to come by for them here.
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Team News
Swansea City are going to be without talismanic midfielder Joe Allen for this match as he is out injured while Joel Latibeaudiere has accumulated too many yellow cards and he is suspended for this contest.
Bristol City have a whole raft of injuries to deal with ahead of this match with Rob Atkinson, Kal Naismith, Joe Williams and Tommy Conway all expected to miss out here. Nigel Pearson could be forced to name an unchanged side.
Betting
I don’t think these two sides could be trusted at the best of times but when there is nothing on the game in terms of a competitive edge to it then I think that is even more the case. It is further the case on Sunday too with this being the third game in what has been quite a tough and hectic week for both teams. If I had to pick someone to win I might ride the big looking price on Bristol City but that wouldn’t be without too much confidence at all.
Where I am much more confident is with both teams to score. I say that because these two can play with some freedom but neither will want to lose. The Swansea defence has been all over the place in recent times but I don’t think Bristol City is a whole lot better, especially when you consider they are going to be chasing the Swans around for much of the afternoon. There is a vulnerability to both these teams and even at 4/5 I think we can profit from that by backing both teams to score.
Tips
Back Both teams to score for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with 888sport
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