Bristol City vs Coventry prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-10-20 14:00.
Just when Bristol City thought they had turned a corner with a 2-1 victory at Rotherham United, they went and suffered a defeat by the same scoreline in Yorkshire, as Leeds consigned Nigel Pearson’s men to a third loss in four Championship games (W1). Despite that frustrating run of form, Pearson will still be confident that his side can keep pace with those in the play-off places because, although they start the round in 14th, they sit just three points off the top six.
Results at Ashton Gate threaten to wreak havoc to Bristol City’s chances of bridging that gap, having collected just one home league win so far this campaign (D2, L2). Things have been similarly disappointing in recent meetings with Saturday’s opponents Coventry City, who the Robins haven’t beaten in the last five league H2Hs (D2, L3).
Coventry fans may have feared that the departures of star men Viktor Gyökeres and Gustavo Hamer would greatly hamper their efforts to go one better than last term when they agonisingly lost in the play-off final to Luton Town. The Sky Blues are actually five points better off (15) compared to this time last season (ten), although they did rapidly improve as that campaign went on. Improvement this season probably comes in the form of turning draws into wins, with Coventry’s six league draws this term serving as a league-high.
Quirkily, Mark Robins is the only current English Football League manager who shares his surname with the nickname of an opponent. He’ll be hoping it’s just names shared, and not points here, as Coventry go in search of back-to-back away league wins for the first time in 2023. A familiar foe stands in Robins’ way though, as the Coventry boss has only faced off against one manager more often than Pearson in the dugout (W5, D3, L4).
Players to watch: Sam Bell is the hosts’ top league scorer this season (G4), with three of those coming at home. Matt Godden has outdone the 20-year-old though, netting five times in the Championship this term, including three on his travels.
Hot stat: Four of Bristol City’s seven home league goals this season have come in the opening 15 minutes of matches.