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Championship | Gameweek 24

Jan 16, 2021 at 3pm UK

Ashton Gate Stadium

Bristol City
2 - 0
Preston

Diedhiou (8'), Vyner (77')
Palmer (61')

FT(HT: 1-0)

Fisher (83')

Preview: Bristol City vs. Preston North End - prediction, team news, lineups

By Francis Buchanan | 14 January 2021

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Bristol City and Preston North End, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Preston North End will make the trip down to the West Country on Saturday for their Championship clash against Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

A month has not yet passed since these two sides last met in the division. Preston emerged victorious then, winning the tie 1-0 in Lancashire.

Match preview

Bristol City's Chris Martin celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on January 10, 2021 © Reuters

After an impressive start to the campaign for Bristol City that propelled them into the upper reaches of the table, Dean Holden's men struggled for form over the festive period.

The Robins are currently 10th in the table but have lost four of their last six league games, conceding nine goals along the way.

Holden's last league win came on Boxing Day, when his side edged their way past strugglers Wycombe Wanderers, winning 2-1.

Against Portsmouth in the FA Cup last weekend, The Robins initially found it difficult to break down the League One side but eventually came away with the win thanks to a late goal from Chris Martin.

Preston North End manager Alex Neil pictured in December 2020 © Reuters

Having endured a rather tumultuous start to their campaign, Preston have been flying in recent weeks.

Alex Neil's side could make it four wins in five league outings if they can get the best of the Robins this weekend, a result which would see the Lilywhites leapfrog them in the table.

While the Championship is often unpredictable, to say the least, Neil can go into this contest feeling quietly confident of his side's chances.

Having won 19 points from a possible 33 so far on their travels, Preston boast one of the best away records in the division. On top of that, Neil's men have scored 30 goals so far this season, the sixth-best tally in the league.

Bristol City Championship form: WLLLWL
Bristol City form (all competitions): LLLWLW

Preston North End Championship form: LLWWWL
Preston North End form (all competitions): LWWWLW

Team News

Bristol City manager Dean Holden pictured on January 10, 2021 © Reuters

Holden's men have been in the wars in recent weeks, with the team severely stricken due to injuries.

Callum O'Dowda, Nathan Baker and Steven Sessegnon are all currently absent having picked up hamstring injuries, Joseph Williams and Liam Walsh are both also out with thigh injuries, while a shin injury is keeping Jay Dasilva out.

Jamie Paterson is also unlikely to feature due to a hip injury, and Jack Hunt is a doubt having picked up a knock.

In comparison, it has not exactly been smooth sailing for the Lilywhites, who are without a number of key players too.

Ben Pearson, Patrick Bauer, Louis Moult and Billy Bodin are all unlikely to feature due to injury.

Significantly for Neil, top-goalscorer Scott Sinclair is also not expected to feature in this game as he is still out with a hamstring injury.

Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Bentley; Mariappa, Vyner, Kalas, Rowe; Semenyo, Bakinson, Nagy, Massengo; Martin, Wells

Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Rudd; Fisher, Huntington, Davies, Hughes; Bayliss, Ledson, Potts, Johnson, Barkhuizen; Maguire

SM words green background

We say: Bristol City 0-2 Preston North End

Bristol City have looked particularly toothless at times recently, and, while Preston are feeling the absence of Sinclair, we think they have what it takes to come away with all three points on Saturday.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Preston North End win with a probability of 38.06%. A win for Bristol City had a probability of 34.64% and a draw had a probability of 27.3%.

The most likely scoreline for a Preston North End win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.87%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.16%) and 0-2 (6.86%). The likeliest Bristol City win was 1-0 (10.25%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.93%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 6.1% likelihood.