MX23RW : Thursday, January 30 19:27:47| >> :120:13676:13676:
[monks data]
Bristol City
Championship | Gameweek 28
Jan 20, 2024 at 3pm UK
Ashton Gate Stadium
Watford logo

Bristol City
1 - 1
Watford

Twine (25')
McCrorie (36')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Dele-Bashiru (13' pen.)
Asprilla (14'), Andrews (40')

Preview: Bristol City vs. Watford - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Bristol City and Watford, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Bristol City will be looking to build on their FA Cup exploits in midweek when they play host to Watford in the Championship on Saturday.

Despite there being five positions between these sides in the standings, ninth-placed Watford hold just a three-point advantage over their next opponents.


Match preview

Bristol City manager Liam Manning reacts after the match on January 7, 2024© Reuters

With just five wins coming from his 14 matches in charge of Bristol City, Liam Manning is yet to fully convince supporters that he is the right man for the job.

Nevertheless, the Robins showcased their potential under Manning on Tuesday evening as they recorded a 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the FA Cup.

An early strike from Tommy Conway proved to be the difference at Ashton Gate as Bristol City pulled off one of the upsets of the round in seeing off the Hammers.

A home tie with Nottingham Forest now awaits them in the fourth round, yet Manning will be eager to keep the focus on league matters with the club now four points adrift of the top six.

That is a consequence of a three-match winless streak that has featured defeats to Millwall and Preston North End, as well as no goals being scored.

Meanwhile, Watford have recently come through an indifferent period to get back on track with victories over Chesterfield and Queens Park Rangers.

The 2-1 success over Chesterfield in the FA Cup proved far more difficult than anticipated, yet Valerien Ismael would have been delighted with the character shown in that encounter.

Beating QPR came via the same scoreline, with two goals from Jake Livermore handing the Hornets a lead before they held on during the closing stages at Loftus Road.

Watford are now back to within one point of the playoffs and Ismael will back his players to extend their recent impressive away run, with a total of 13 points coming from five games.

Bristol City Championship form:

Bristol City form (all competitions):


Watford Championship form:

Watford form (all competitions):



Team News

Watford manager Valerien Ismael applauds fans after the match on August 19, 2023© Reuters

Despite the success over West Ham, Manning could make a couple of changes to his Bristol City starting lineup.

Sam Bell and Jason Knight could be drafted back in at right wing-back and in a creative role respectively, taking the spots of Ross McCrorie and Matty James respectively.

If Mark Sykes is deemed fit enough after a hamstring injury, he will likely be named among the replacements, while Scott Twine may also only be selected on the substitutes' bench.

Meanwhile, Ismael could decide to select the same Watford XI from the win at QPR having only made substitutions to defend their advantage.

However, Mileta Rajovic could be restored to the attack in place of Rhys Healey, while Ryan Porteous and Ismael Kone are pushing for recalls.


Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O'Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Dickie; Bell, Williams, Gardner-Hickman, Pring; Knight, Mehmeti; Conway

Watford possible starting lineup:
Hamer; Andrews, Sierralta, Hoedt, Morris; Livermore; Asprilla, Dele-Bashiru, Chakvetadze, Martins; Rajovic


SM words green background

We say: Bristol City 1-1 Watford

Bristol City will be full of belief after upsetting West Ham in midweek, but it remains to be seen whether they can build on such a strong performance. With that in mind, do not be surprised to see if Watford manage to earn a share of the spoils, fresh from having a midweek off.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Away Win:data


ID:534115:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect11947:
Written by
Darren Plant

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Bristol City vs Watford

Bristol City
41.9%
Draw
29.0%
Watford
29.0%
31
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Burnley's Scott Twine celebrates scoring their third goal on May 8, 2023
Read Next:
Bristol City close to signing Burnley's Scott Twine?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds29179353193460
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd29186540211958
3Burnley29151223692757
4Sunderland291510442241855
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom291014538251344
6Middlesbrough29128947361144
7Blackburn RoversBlackburn29126113228442
8Bristol City29101183734341
9Watford29125124041-141
10Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds29118104245-341
11Norwich CityNorwich29109104842639
12Coventry CityCoventry29108113938138
13Queens Park RangersQPR2991193237-538
14Millwall29910102826237
15Preston North EndPreston2981383236-437
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2999113343-1036
17Swansea CitySwansea2997133240-834
18Cardiff CityCardiff29710123344-1131
19Hull City2978143038-829
20Stoke CityStoke29611122636-1029
21Portsmouth2978143652-1629
22Derby CountyDerby2976163240-827
23Luton TownLuton2975172948-1926
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth29410152762-3522


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!