It was thought that both of these clubs would be challenging for similar mid-table positions, yet following the opening seventeen games of the campaign that is not the case at all. Instead, Bristol City are battling down in the bottom three, while Southampton are performing in the opposite fashion and currently lead the division.
Looking at their squad on paper, it seems incredible to see Bristol City struggling down in the bottom three places. With the likes of David James, Nicky Maynard and Jon Stead being part of the squad, it would be fair to say that the Ashton Gate outfit certainly don’t lack quality and should be performing much better. However, following the appointment of Derek McInnes, the fortunes of the Robins have most definitely improved and while they remain in the bottom three, they are showing signs of improvement. The club have now not lost in their last four and having won three of those fixtures, it surely won’t be long until they exit the relegation zone. At the moment, just two points keep them adrift of safety, meaning that they could be out by as early as Saturday evening.
It’s a completely different story for Southampton on the other hand, with Saints seemingly walking away with the division. At the time of writing, Nigel Adkins’ men sit in 1st position having collected thirty nine points, meaning that they are already an incredible eight points away from 3rd place. To make matters even more promising, Saints also approach this fixture with some exceptional form behind them. Their comfortable 3-0 win over Brighton in their last match was their fourth straight victory, while it also stretched their unbeaten run in the league to eight games.
As for team news, it’s thought that Derek McInnes will attempt to keep changes to a minimum following recent form. With that being said, he has been given the option of including Jamie McAllister and Louis Carey, who both featured in the reserves during the week and are finally fit enough to feature. However, Jon Stead is still unavailable as he continues to sit on the treatment table. As for Southampton, there were fears during the week that Dan Harding would not be able to play after he injured his knee in training. However, he has pulled through although Nigel Adkins still has several absentees, with Dan Seaborne, David Connolly and Radhi Jaidi all poised to miss out.
This promises to be an exciting game for the neutral, with both of these sides in rich veins of form. While Southampton may be sat top of the league, we think Bristol City’s home form will count for everything and they will make things extremely difficult for their visitors. With that, our tip will be an entertaining 2-2 draw.
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