Bristol City vs Middlesbrough Predictions

Back goals at Ashton Gate

Bristol City host Middlesbrough at Ashton Gate on Saturday, in a game where both teams have scored in ten of the last 12 Championship meetings between these sides.

Middlesbrough are second in the league, nine places and 12 points above Bristol City, and both teams have won more games than they’ve lost this season. The hosts have eight wins and seven defeats, while Middlesbrough have 12 wins and three losses.

Bristol City have won the last four head-to-heads with Middlesbrough and have been winners in three of the last four home meetings between the sides in the Championship. However, Middlesbrough are tough opponents and have had five victories in their last seven league matches.

Middlesbrough won 3-1 at home to Queen’s Park Rangers in their last Championship game, with David Strelec scoring the opener on the half hour. Middlesbrough have won all 11 of the games in which they’ve scored first this season. They were 19/20 to win the game and comfortably obliged for favourite backers.

Both sides have been scoring in Middlesbrough’s last eight Championship matches, and ‘both teams to score’ has been a winning bet in ten of their last 12 games. Bristol City have been in some low-scoring games of late – six of the last eight have gone under 2.5 goals – but there were four goals in their 2-2 draw with Leicester City last week.

Middlesbrough will be backing themselves to score here. The visitors carry an attacking threat, having scored at least twice in six of their last seven Championship games. They have averaged 2.20 goals a game in their five away games against other top-half teams this season.

Neither team has been solid at the back. Bristol City have failed to keep a clean sheet in eight of their last ten home games, while Middlesbrough have gone without a shutout in their last five on the road.

Over 2.5 goals has been a winning bet in 12 of Middlesbrough’s 21 Championship games this season, and nine of their 12 wins were by a single goal. Bristol City have gone down by a single goal in two of their last three games, so a 2-1 away win for Middlesbrough looks like a decent correct-score bet.

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Edited by Mark Langdon