There is one more match in the Sky Bet Championship on Wednesday evening when the rearranged fixture between Bristol City and Preston North End takes place at an Ashton Gate which might be a little subdued after recent results.
The Championship table is so tight that both teams have the chance to make a big move over the course of the evening. Unfortunately the match isn’t on TV so if you want to watch it you’ll need to pay £10 to the Bristol City website for access.
Bristol City
The first quarter of the season was one of two halves for Bristol City. After a couple of defeats where they had no luck at all, they won four of their next five to promise to deliver on the changes made to the squad in the close season but they have now lost four of their last five and their league position is similar to how it was last term. Looking from the outside you get the feeling Nigel Pearson isn’t the right man at Ashton Gate and it remains to be seen how much patience is left in him.
The big issue that Bristol City have had this season is their inability to stop goals going in their own net. No team in the Championship have conceded more than their 21 against them this term and for a fairly pragmatic manager who was a defender himself that is more than a slight concern. As is often the case when a team is beginning to struggle defensively, the pressure is getting to the attackers too and the Robins have just two goals from their last four matches.
Preston North End
This has been one of the most remarkable opening quarters of a season that has ever been recorded by Preston North End, not because of the results but because of the lack of goals in their matches. Prior to their win over Norwich City at the weekend, the opening 12 matches involving Preston had involved just eight goals. Four for them and four against. There are signs that Ryan Lowe’s men are starting to find their stride offensively though as their three goals at Norwich on Saturday shows.
That yielded a second successive win for the Lancashire outfit and despite a void of goals, they head into this match in eighth in the league table and victory here could move them into the top five. I had Preston down as dark horses for a good campaign this term because Lowe is a good coach and now that he appears to be finding a spark in attacking areas it wouldn’t be a surprise if that prediction comes true. Preston have only been beaten twice all season and one of those was against the league leaders.
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Team News
Bristol City will be without Kal Naismith and Matty James for this match with it come too soon after their return to training. Kane Wilson is a longer injury victim but Joe Williams is back in contention having served a suspension at the weekend.
Preston North End are going to be without on loan striker Troy Parrott after he picked up an injury in the aftermath to scoring at the weekend which is going to keep him out for a period of time. A sickness bug has gone through the camp but Lowe was optimistic his squad is over that.
Betting
I really think Preston North End are a good side and with them making the trip south in pretty good form I think if there is a winner in this match it will be them. Their trip to Norwich on Saturday was their sixth away game this term and the two goals they conceded were the first two that have gone in the back of their net in that time. They are more than capable of keeping things tight on the road and have enough quality at the other end to take advantage of a leaky Bristol City defence.
Bristol City have hit a wall at the minute. They have lost four of their last five matches and while they can be excused for defeats to Norwich, Burnley and QPR, their loss at Birmingham at the weekend was a concern, as is their sudden lack of goals. Pearson has spoken of a lack of resources to make changes so it sounds like he is going to send a similar team into battle but against a defensively solid Preston they might be in for another tough evening. Preston have held Burnley and beaten Norwich over the last month and can get something at Ashton Gate.
Tips
Back Preston North End (0AH) to beat Bristol City for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Bet365
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