Bristol City v Birmingham: betting preview, odds, stats and free tip

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Bristol City v Birmingham in the Sky Bet Championship.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event, 7.45pm Friday

Best bet

Birmingham or draw double chance
2pts 8-11 Betway

Team news

Bristol City
Jack Hunt and Andrea Weimann are expected to shake off knocks but Tomas Kalas is not yet ready for a return. Loanees Filip Benkovic and Markus Henriksen may be considered.

Birmingham
Midfielder Josh McEachran is out with a knee injury and Jacques Maghoma is also set for a spell on the sidelines.

Match preview

Bristol City have renewed their Sky Bet Championship promotion push with four consecutive victories but they may miss the chance to move up to third against Birmingham.

Lee Johnson’s men have responded well to a disappointing December, which featured four defeats from just six league outings, with wins to nil over Wigan, Barnsley, Reading and QPR.

However, the strength of that opposition can be questioned - 15th-placed Reading are the highest-ranked of their victims - and three of those successes were registered by the narrowest of margins.

The Robins required an 87th-minute winner from Niclas Eliasson to see off second-bottom Barnsley at home, while they won despite registering just 29 per cent possession against QPR at Loftus Road.

Away wins at Reading (1-0) and Wigan (2-0) also suggest their performances have merited less than the maximum points they achieved. City managed just three shots on target at the Madejski Stadium and lost the shot count 17-6 to a Wigan side who find themselves two points adrift of safety.

Johnson’s Robins evidently carry a threat going forward, largely through the physical presence of leading scorer Famara Diedhiou, but they may be flying higher than should be the case.

Despite having conceded none in four, City boast the worst defence in the top ten with 40 goals shipped in 30 games. They have been more efficient on their travels too, with only six of their 14 wins coming on their own patch.

Birmingham have a quick turnaround to contend with after needing a penalty shootout to see off Coventry in their FA Cup fourth-round replay on Tuesday.

However, Pep Clotet was able to make several changes for that clash with top scorer Lukas Jutkiewicz starting on the bench and striking partner Scott Hogan, who netted the winner on his debut in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, ineligible to play.

Jeremie Bella, Gary Gardner and Jake Clarke-Salter are also expected to return to Birmingham’s starting 11, so a busy recent schedule may not be such a factor.

The improving Blues are unbeaten in four league games, which includes draws at Blackburn and Middlesbrough, and they look value to stretch that sequence at Ashton Gate.

Key stat
Bristol City have won only three of their last eight home league games.

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