Prediction & odds for the game: Bristol City (6/5) v Derby (12/5)
When: Wednesday, 12th February 2020 @ 7.45pm K.O
Where: Ashton Gate
Bristol City and Derby County will continue their push towards the playoffs when they meet at Ashton Gate this week.
Bristol City
Despite coming close over the years, Bristol City have still never played in the Premier League. This year feels like one of their best opportunities to seal promotion to the big time, but it would almost certainly have to come in the form of a playoff run. Lee Johnson may not be the most universally adored manager in world football but he doesn’t have to be in order to succeed. They have a strong squad with an often efficient defensive structure, and all they need to do is start adding some goals into their game.
Wins over Wigan, Barnsley, Reading and Queens Park Rangers helped City to consolidate their place in the playoff race, with the latter three being by a 1-0 scoreline. However, they were stunned 3-1 at home by Birmingham and they also suffered an FA Cup upset at the hands of Shrewsbury.
Derby
The race for the playoffs often goes down to the wire in the Championship and while we’ve still got a few months left to go this season, it feels as if that’s the direction we’re heading in. Derby County are on the outside looking in right now but ever since Wayne Rooney arrived, it’s felt as if there is a renewed hope that they can straighten themselves out and really go after the top six. In order to do so, they need to beat the teams around them.
Derby may have struggled in their FA Cup fourth round tie against Northampton, but they pulled a win out of the bag in the replay. They also suffered a disappointing loss by their own standards against Luton in the league, but they’ve also built up some momentum for themselves with Championship wins over Hull, Stoke and Swansea.
Conclusion
While these may be two teams who are capable of playing some of the best football in the entire league, we’ve got a feeling that it’s going to descend into a scrappy affair. Bristol City have been seen to panic in recent weeks against teams who aren’t afraid to come right at them, as they’re more used to being a bit more conservative with their efforts. Derby aren’t going to settle for that and if their ruthless style ends up leading to a draw as opposed to them claiming all three points, so be it.
With an average of around five goals in Derby’s last four games, it only makes sense to bet the house on this hitting the over 2.5 goals market.
Verdict: Back the draw at odds of 23/10 and the over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 10/11. (All odds are taken from bet365).
[geosnippet id=3620]Feel free to bet on Bristol City v Derby on the betting page, or mix it up by taking a look at the other games on offer on the soccer predictions page.
