Bristol City vs Middlesbrough – Match Preview

Bristol City vs Middlesbrough
Saturday 31st August 2019
Sky Bet Championship,  Ashton Gate

Live on Sky Sports Football – Kick-Off: 12:30 BST

Bristol City face Middlesbrough on Saturday lunchtime as SkyBet Championship action returns to Ashton Gate.

The Robins are unbeaten since their opening day defeat to Leeds United, and have won each of their last three Championship matches.  Their opponents Middlesbrough however are in a much contrasting form. Boro have only won once this season and have failed to keep a clean sheet in 4/5 of their league encounters so far this season.

Johnathan Woodgate took over from Tony Pulis at the Riverside this summer, and his start to life as a manager has been somewhat of a baptism of fire. The former England defender has seen his side concede six goals already this season and face a Bristol City side who are no strangers to finding the back of the net.

In the 2018/19 season, Bristol City failed to score in only four of their 23 home fixtures, and SkyBet are offering odds of evens for Bristol City to score more than 2+ goals. I would recommend this selection as Bristol City are regular scorers on home turf, as well as the fact Middlesbrough’s defensive record this season is uninspiring to say the least.

Bristol City won the most recent fixture between the two sides 1-0. A repeat score line is priced at 13/2 on SkyBet.

Britt Assombalonga finished last season as Middlesbrough’s top scorer with 14 league goals and has already found the back of the net twice this season. Assombalonga to score the first goal is priced at 5/1 on SkyBet.

The Referee for Saturday lunchtimes clash is Lee Mason. Mason who has predominantly appeared in the Premier League over recent years took charge of 32 matches across all competitions last season, awarding 99 yellow cards in the process, with an average of just over three yellow cards per match.

Bristol City have shown enough this season to me already to suggest that they ill be in and around the play-off places come the end of the season. They are a side who rarely struggle to score, and have a very good manager in Lee Johnson, and that’s why I’m predicting them to take all three points on Saturday. Middlesbrough’s start to the season has been below the expected level, however I don’t think that will last, and I expect Woodgate’s fortunes to turn in the coming weeks.

Bristol City vs Middlesbrough will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Football with kick off at 12:30 GMT.

Prediction: Bristol City 2-0 Middlesbrough.

Suggested Tips – Bristol City vs Middlesbrough – (BET365)

  • Correct Score – Bristol City to win 2-0 – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Bristol City vs Middlesbrough – (SKYBET)

  • Player Stats RequestABets – Over 1.5 goals, Afobe 1+ shots on target, 6+ match corners and 30+ match booking pts 7/4.
  • Popular Player Stats RequestABets – Afobe & Assombalonga 2+ shots on target each – 10/1.
  • Total Goals, Corners Taken & Booking Pts –  Over 1.5 Goals, Over 8.5 Corners, Over 25 Booking Points – 13/8.

Markets updated at 10:30 BST on Saturday 30 August 2019.

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