Bristol City vs Shrewsbury Predictions

• Bristol City have only scored more than once in one out of five home FA Cup matches since 2016.
• Bristol City have conceded two or more in four of their last five matches at Ashton Gate.
• Shrewsbury have lost just one of their last eight away games. They’ve kept a clean sheet in five of those eight.

Robins inconsistent at home

Inconsistency continued to blight The Robins on New Year’s Day, as they slumped to a 0-4 defeat at home to Brentford. The Bees are a good side, make no mistake about that, but Lee Johnson will have been bitterly disappointed to see his side receive such a beating. Somewhat worryingly, Bristol City have lost three of their last four matches at Ashton Gate, while they’ve not won back-to-back at home since October and have done so just once this term.

Barring a win over strugglers Luton in between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, Bristol City have lost five on the spin, and it’s not as if they’ve only been losing to the top teams either, as they’ve tasted defeat against Charlton and Blackburn during that time, two teams below them in the table.

As a total of ten in five suggests, Bristol City are conceding too many at present, but their main issue is perhaps a lack of goals. The Robins have scored in just two of their last five and in only one of their last three at home.

Shrews defiant on the road

While their Championship hosts have endured a tough time of late, The Shrews have done OK. In typical Shrewsbury fashion they’ve not set the world alight but continue to be tough to beat, losing just one of their last five, and even then, they only lost narrowly against one of the best teams in the division.

Sam Rickett’s men are also very good at avoiding defeat on the road, which bodes well ahead of this match. The Shrews have lost just one of their last eight travelling matches, conceding just three goals and keeping five clean sheets in the process. You won’t see them dazzling, but you’ll always see a defiant, organised side that is extremely tough to push over.

Visitors to cause an upset

Being in the division above their opponents, Bristol City are inevitably well-fancied in the early betting, though they look on the short side. At the prices, ‘Shrewsbury +1 Handicap’ stands out. For starters, the hosts will be without the experienced Ashley Williams, which is a blow. Moreover, the recent form of the hosts doesn’t exactly suggest that that they’ll outclass their opponents, which is what the current prices point towards. Add in that Shrewsbury are known as a side capable of digging deep and picking up regular results on the road and the home win looks even less likely. Lastly, Shrewsbury have made a habit of doing well against higher-level teams in recent times. Last season, they beat Stoke City away from home in this competition, while they only went down by a single goal to a very strong Wolves side. In 2018, they took West Ham to extra-time away from home.