Bristol City vs Stoke prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-12-16 15:00.
Bristol City came back from the break with a bang last weekend, sealing a 3-1 victory away at Rotherham United to gain a modest but crucial buffer from the relegation zone. That solid away win also extended their record to three Championship games without a loss (W1, D2), their longest unbeaten run since September. For manager Nigel Pearson, it was the manner of the win that impressed the most, and he was eager to point out post-match that it had been a while since his team collected three points in such a “positive” manner.
Their opponents, Stoke City, are starting the round just one point behind the Robins in a bottom-half logjam and will carry ambitions of leapfrogging them with a win. However, it’s Bristol City who have come out on top in the most recent H2H duels, collecting the spoils in all but two of the previous seven occasions (W5, D1, L1). Their last three H2H wins came with clean sheets too, and adding another shutout to that run would be a welcome bonus for a side with the league’s joint-fourth worst defensive record ahead of this round (GA: 30).
While Bristol City are a team on the up, the same can’t be said for the visitors who have won just two of their last eight Championship matches (D1, L5). Their first game back at home to Cardiff City resulted in a 2-2 draw, which in the eyes of manager Alex Neil was both fair but also unfortunate. He lamented a key decision not falling their way: "I thought we had an absolute stonewall penalty,” Neil explained. “If we get that there is an opportunity to go 3-1 up and then the likelihood is the game is taken away from them."
Although the Stoke leader may feel hard done by, he’ll know his side can’t afford to keep conceding two goals per game – as they have done in three of their last four matches – if they are to pick up more helpful results. If Stoke are forced to try and work their way out of trouble again, then expect their efforts to arrive in the latter stages given each of their last five league goals on the road have all come after half-time.
Players to watch: Bristol City’s Alex Scott grabbed his fourth assist this season in Saturday’s win, but continues to draw the ire of referees. His eight yellow cards is a joint-league most as of the start of the round. Stoke opponent Liam Delap is also often getting himself in the referee's bad books. Coming into this clash, he had committed the third-most fouls in the league (36). However the forward created some admirable headlines by grabbing his second goal of the season against Cardiff.
Hot stat: Stoke’s goals per shot average (0.07) was the worst of the division going into this round.