Derby vs Bristol City Predictions

• Derby County’s relegation was confirmed on Monday after a 1-0 defeat at QPR.
• Bristol City have won two of their last four away league games.
• Bristol City have won four of the last five head-to-head meetings between the clubs.

Crestfallen Rams are there for the taking

Derby are down and Tom Lawrence is suspended, so this really isn’t a good time to be backing the Rams at even money. Wayne Rooney’s side have been excellent at home since December, failing to win only three of 11 home games over that span, but all that is academic now that their survival hopes have been extinguished.

Lawrence was sent off deep in stoppage time at Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium and will have to sit this one out. The Welshman has been Derby’s best player this season, scoring 11 and assisting five of their 42 Championship goals, and leaves a void that will be hard for Rooney to fill.

During Lawrence’s last ban back in February, Derby lost all three games and produced just one solitary goal, so it really isn’t over-emphasising the impact of his loss to suggest Bristol City ought to be much stronger in the match result market. The Robins have been awful on their travels all season yet have somehow managed to win two of their last four road games coming into this.

Semenyo so good for City’s counter-attacks

Nigel Pearson has finally managed to sort out one glaring issue that has dogged his team all season – conceding goals from corners – which they have now avoided doing in their last five fixtures. And the return to fitness of Antoine Semenyo has given City some real potency on the counter-attack.

This figures to be a very winnable game for the visitors in the wake of Derby’s drop and so the away price should be snapped up without any fear. If any more convincing was needed, the Robins have won four of their last five meetings with the Rams.

All six of Bristol City’s away wins this season have been by one-goal margins with the last two both finishing 1-0, hence our correct score forecast being just that.