Bristol City Vs Birmingham City
Friday 7th February 2020 – 19:45 Kick-Off
English Championship
Pick: Both Teams to Score
Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker: WilliamHill
(All betting odds displayed in this article were correct at time of writing: 4th February 2020 at 12:30)
Preview: There is a difference of thirteen points between them in the table, but will that show at Ashton Gate on Friday? The home side are in tremendous form, with Bristol City winning their last four matches at this level, however, Birmingham are as many games unbeaten and did come out on top on their visit here in 2018/19.
EFL Championship Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Bristol City Preview – Robins seeking fifth straight league success?
December was bleak for Bristol City (6th – W14 D8 L8). A total of six points were registered from the eighteen that were available as they suffered four defeats across their six Championship fixtures to drop out of the play-off positions. January didn’t begin any better, though, hammered 4-0 in their opening fixture of the new year as high-flying Brentford ran riot at Ashton Gate. But ever since then the team has embarked on a dramatic transformation.
Four successive victories – three on the road against Wigan (0-2), Reading (0-1) and QPR (0-1) and the other at home to Barnsley (1-0) – equates to being their longest winning sequence of the season and is a seriously impressive turnaround. The Robins consequently returned to the play-offs on the back of these superb exploits, although arguably more impressive are the drastic strides made in tightening up a defence that has conceded more frequently this season (40 in 30 games) than any other side in the top-ten.
Their 1-0 victory away to QPR last weekend, in which Lee Johnson’s side restricted the hosts to one effort on target throughout the entire 90 minutes, was the first time since 1990 Bristol City had won four consecutive league games without conceding. They only kept six clean sheets up until the end of December but already boast an additional four since the turn of this year. Another clean sheet is a 2/1 chance (Betfair), while another Win To Nil can be found at 3/1 (Boylesports).
Birmingham City Preview – Blues protecting four-game unbeaten streak?
Another team who have somehow managed to overhaul some wretched December form are Birmingham City (17th – W10 D7 L13). When Pep Clotet’s men were beaten 3-2 at home by Wigan on New Year’s Day, it marked a fifth defeat in six league games (D1 L5) and meant they had conceded an alarming seventeen times in the process. Haemorrhaging goals are incapable of collecting points, the club found itself slipping perilously towards the relegation zone.
Sometimes it only requires one result to instil belief back into a team. Beating rock-bottom Luton 2-1 at Kenwilworth was that result, as since that success on 11 January The Blues are four games unbeaten in The Championship (W2 D2). Successive 1-1 draws with Cardiff (home) and Middlesbrough (away) were to follow before last week’s eye-catching win over fourth-placed Nottingham Forest, fighting back from an early deficit to claim a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Scott Hogan and Kristian Pedersen.
It’s an improvement, but this is still a side with only three wins in its previous sixteen league contests (W3 D6 L7). The last clean sheet, meanwhile, dates all the way back to their 1-0 win at home to Blackburn on 22 October – that is seven consecutive matches without one. They have kept none in their last ten on the road. Just as well, then, that Clotet’s men offer a goal threat of their own, with each of the last seven fixtures producing both teams scoring, which is an 8/11 price (WilliamHill).
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Betting Summary
There can be no doubt as to which arrives in better shape. Bristol City have won four league games on the bounce, all without so much as conceding a single goal, and are the team chasing promotion. Meanwhile, Birmingham City languish in 17th having won only three times in their prior sixteen league encounters. Each of their last seven games finished with both teams among the goals.
Bristol City Vs Birmingham City – Key Facts:
- Bristol City have won each of their last four league games without conceding a single goal.
- Birmingham City are four games unbeaten in England’s second tier (W2 D2). Their previous seven matches at this level all returned both teams to score.
- Both teams have scored in four of the past five meetings, with the fixture earlier in the season at St Andrews ending honours even after a 1-1 draw.
Birmingham were, however, 2-1 winners at Ashton Gate last season. Pep Clotet’s men have also scored at least once in seven straight Championship matches, so are clearly capable of troubling a Bristol City side which, prior to their recent run of clean sheets, had seriously struggled to stem the flow of goals being conceded for much of the campaign. Both should be feeling confident after fine recent runs, and both should find the back of each other’s net
Best Betting Odds for Bristol City Vs Birmingham City
Bristol City – 23/20 Betfair
Draw – 5/2 WilliamHill
Birmingham City – 13/5 Betway
