Bristol City vs Walsall Predictions

• Bristol City have lost just two of their seven pre-season games
• Walsall are winless in pre-season and haven’t scored
• Both clubs have new managers in charge

Skubala can make winning start

The first round of the EFL Cup takes place this week, after a couple of preliminary games, and the first game takes place at Ashton Gate on Thursday evening as Championship outfit Bristol City host Walsall of League Two.

Both sides have new managers overseeing their first competitive games in charge as Michael Skubala, who guided Lincoln to the League One title last season, is in the Robins hot-seat and Lee Grant is Walsall’s new boss. That adds a bit more intrigue to this game but the Robins have a far stronger team and should be expected to win fairly comfortably.

Bristol City finished 12th last season as former England manager Roy Hodgson took charge for the final seven games of the season. Skubala looks an excellent appointment after his success at Lincoln last season and they could well be among the promotion contenders in the Championship.

In the away dugout, Grant has taken his second role after a nine-month stint in charge of Huddersfield that came to an end in January. The former Derby and Sheffield Wednesday keeper is taking charge of a Saddlers team who were one of the early season title challengers in League Two last season, but their form nosedived and they ended up in mid-table.

Pre-season has been a struggle for Walsall as they have failed to score in all four of their friendly games and starting the new season with a trip to a second-tier club looks a big ask.

The standout bet here looks to be backing the Robins to cover a -1 handicap. They have a far stronger squad and home advantage, and the added motivation of ensuring Skubala makes a winning start.

A 3-0 Bristol City win is the correct score pick as there have been a couple of pre-season games where they have scored heavily, and Walsall shipped three in their final game of the League Two campaign. A goal for the visitors isn’t expected due to their attacking struggles over the summer, and Skubala’s Lincoln had League One’s best defence last season so making his new side solid at the back will have been a priority in the build-up to the new campaign.