West Bromwich Albion V Bristol City
Wednesday 27 November 2019 – 20:00 Kick-Off
EFL Championship
Pick: Over 2.5 Goals
Odds: 4/6
Bookmaker: Bet365
EFL Championship Betting – 22Bet
(All betting odds displayed were correct as of 25 November 2019 at 15:00)
Preview: Between them, 34 matches in this season’s EFL Championship have been played. Between them, only three resulted in a loss. Bearing this in mind, it might require something fairly special to separate West Bromwich Albion and Bristol City at The Hawthorns on Wednesday night.
West Brom Vs Bristol City Live Stats & Betting Odds
West Brom Preview – Leaders to secure another important win?
Few teams currently boast stronger promotion credentials than West Bromwich Albion (1st – W10 D6 L1, GF31 GA18), with the Midlands club top of the standings and in better form than anyone right now. Their previous eight matches have garnered 17 from a possible 24 points (W5 D2 L1), a return none of their rivals can better, while last weekend’s last-gasp victory at home to Sheffield Wednesday was a third straight win for Slaven Bilic’s relentless charges.
The Hawthorns has also become a happy hunting ground again, to the delight of supporters. No visiting team has won there all season (W4 D4). Strangely, though, no visiting team has so far failed to score there either, which suggests the home faithful are certainly receiving their moneys worth, with both points and entertainment rarely in short supply. Only Preston, meanwhile, have plundered more goals in home fixtures than The Baggies’ total of 19.
In fact, no team has scored with greater regularity in the English second tier – home or away – than West Brom (31), who are averaging close to two per game. If only they could tighten up defensively, perhaps then bookmakers would have little option but to install a new favourite for the Championship title. That honour belongs to Leeds, second in the table and still the only side to have beaten Slaven Bilic’s men in the league thus far.
Bristol City Preview – Play-off chasing Robins capable of surprise?
Fans are quietly hopeful that promotion could finally materialise this season, with Bristol City (7th – W7 D8 L2, GF25 GA21) enjoying a reasonably strong start to sit just outside the play-offs. Manager Lee Johnson has overseen two defeats in seventeen so far, which is incredibly impressive and no easy achievement in a league famed for its unpredictable nature. But the sheer number of draws his team are regularly managing is something of genuine concern.
Their latest encounter was another prime example. Facing a Nottingham Forest side in decent form at Ashton Gate, Bristol City would fail to capitalise on not only home advantage but playing against an opponent who were reduced to ten men early into the second period. It would have felt like another two points dropped, and not for the first time, with that being a third draw in four (W1 D3). No team, meanwhile, has drawn more often this season (8).
Perhaps away from home The Robins can fare better. That was certainly the case at Cardiff in their latest away encounter when winning 1-0 over in Wales, at a tough ground, thanks to Josh Brownhill’s third league goal of the season. Only three sides have collected more points on their travels than Johnson’s men, whose sole away reverse (W4 D4 L1) came as something of a shock at the time, losing 3-0 to Luton last month. Aberations like that are few and far between, though.
West Bromwich Albion Vs Bristol City Key Facts:
- West Brom, who are top of the table, are still to lose a league fixture at home this season (W4 D4).
- Bristol City have avoided defeat in eight of their nine away games so far (W4 D4 L1).
- Last season’s encounters between the two both produced plenty of goals, and both would produce home wins: West Brom winning 4-2 at The Hawthorns.
Betting Summary
Momentum is behind this West Brom side, which has chalked up three consecutive wins to maintain their stranglehold of top spot. Nobody has bested them at The Hawthorns so far, this despite regularly shipping goals there. All eight home fixtures finished with both teams among the goals, with four goals scored on average there. They’ve scored two or more themselves in each of the last six said fixtures.
By some contrast, Bristol City have lost their way a little of late. Three of their last four matches would end in a share of the spoils, including the latest encounter – a goalless affair at home to Nottingham Forest. Similarly, however, The Robins have been involved in numerous high-scoring duels on the road: scoring in 8 of the 9 contests away from home, their away games have averaged over three goals.
This promises to be an entertaining watch. Goals have been a regular feature for both these team’s respective home and away fixtures this season, which should, hopefully, carry into this clash. Both teams scoring in a draw appeals at 17/4 with BetVictor.
