Bristol City got themselves off to a flyer last weekend with a great 3-1 victory over Barnsley. Thanks to that victory, they are top of the Championship right now and while I don’t expect that to last, it is sure to make the players feel great going into this weekend’s game.
Both of these teams will fancy their chances of avoiding the drop and will be looking to finish mid-table this season. Birmingham will be looking forward to playing at home and will hope to pick up some points from this one to register their first of the season, while Bristol will want to keep hold of top spot in the division.
Birmingham Form
Birmingham began their Championship season with a tough trip to Ipswich which resulted in a 1-0 loss. Ipswich look destined for mid-table this season and with a very solid defensive set up that probably wasn’t too bad a result for Birmingham. They bounced back in the right fashion on Tuesday night with a comfortable League Cup victory over Crawley of League Two. They won that game 5-1 in a very convincing manner, showing they were a class above their lower opponents. Birmingham will have hopes on a mid-table finish this season and points from their home games will be important for them. They need to start well here against a team who is scoring for fun if they are to get something from the game.
Bristol City Form
The opening weekend of the season was a thrilling weekend for Bristol City after they started with a great 3-1 win over Barnsley. They led that game 3-0 after just 30 minutes, before easing off and recording a comfortable victory. They continued their great goal scoring run in the League Cup by beating League One Plymouth 5-0 on Tuesday night. That was impressive and with eight goals in their first two games, Bristol City certainly look like an attacking force early in the season. It is very early, but the psychological effect of being top of the league will be a huge boost to Bristol City. They will be hoping to continue their great goal scoring record and remain in top spot after this weekend.
Team News
During Tuesday’s comfortable victory over Crawley, Che Adams bagged his first senior hat trick of his career and will surely have cemented his place in the team for this one. Aside from him, I expect to see Birmingham play with a similar team to the one that faced Ipswich last Saturday. The result on that day wasn’t too bad and Birmingham will believe they can build on that to secure something from this game against Bristol City.
Bristol City are not struggling to find the net at the moment and with goals coming from all over the park, every player will feel confident going into this weekend. They have scored eight goals from their two games, and they have been scored by seven different players, with Bobby Reid the only player to score two. New record signing Famara Diedhiou scored on his debut last weekend and he looks an exciting prospect for the Championship. He looks sure to start again this weekend and will look to add another goal as he repays back his hefty price tag.
Top Betting Tips
Although Bristol City have started their season very well, I believe these two clubs are quite closely matched and this should be a close game. Birmingham can be forgiven for losing last weekend, Ipswich will be a tough place to play this season and they did bounce back in exactly the right way during midweek in the League Cup.
However, despite that, it is very difficult to back against Bristol City at the moment with the way they have started. They look defensively responsible, and full of goals, with players from all over the park getting involved in their attacking play. I don’t expect their run to last forever, although they may be able to catch a few teams cold during August as they adapt to the new season.
I am going to back Bristol City to win again here, which is available at 19/10 with Ladbrokes. For those who are looking for a bigger priced value bet, a 2-1 victory to Bristol City can be backed at 10/1 with William Hill and Ladbrokes. Hopefully they can maintain their good scoring run and pick up all three points in this one to keep them at the top of the Championship.