Bristol City vs Birmingham Predictions & Tips

Bristol City will aim to return to winning ways at home when they host Birmingham City in the Championship on Saturday, but a draw is a much likelier outcome. The Blues arrive with inconsistent away form that reads as three defeats and three draws from their last six, but closer scrutiny brings some order to the sequence. Lee Bowyer’s side have lost their last three away games played in midweek and drawn their last three played on Saturday afternoon.

The difference in the performance levels between the two categories of game are quite stark as Birmingham average 1.56 xG across those three Saturday skirmishes and just 1.1 in those matches under floodlights. The Blues’ solitary away win in their last 15 attempts on the road – against Middlesbrough in October – also occurred on a Saturday.

Hence, we are higher on their prospects of avoiding defeat at Ashton Gate than the oddsmakers, who have pushed them out to around 9/4 in match betting. The home side had won four in a row on their own turf prior to a 2-1 reverse against Coventry a couple of weeks ago.

Both teams to score should be a given

Nigel Pearson’s side then followed up with a pointless excursion to Nottingham on Saturday which means both teams in this clash are on two-game losing runs. A draw would seem a sensible play in the circumstances as neither club has much to play for either, being so far from both playoff and relegation zones in points terms.

Both teams to score is advised too because statistically, these two clubs have been among the division’s most reliable for landing BTTS in recent weeks. Both teams have scored in Bristol City’s last seven home Championship matches and the last six Birmingham City away league fixtures.

Our correct score fancy is for this to finish 1-1 after noting that Bristol City average 1.1 goals when playing at home and Birmingham City net an average 1.11 goals when playing away.