Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Championship clash between Bristol City and Rotherham United, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Aiming to continue an unbeaten streak to end the Championship season, Bristol City will welcome already-relegated Rotherham United to Ashton Gate on Saturday.
The Robins find themselves six games without a defeat in 12th spot in England’s second tier, while their visitors will bid to end their season on a high under the new management of Steve Evans.
Match preview
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Bristol City head back to Ashton Gate on Saturday in the midst of a pleasing run of Championship form, having moved into a strong position in their bid for a top-half finish with a six-game unbeaten streak.
A dismal run between mid-February and mid-March, producing five defeats and a single victory in a six-match span, left the Robins on 47 points from 38 outings, but they have since bounced back in style and built an improved end to the term, firstly bouncing back with consecutive 1-0 wins over first-placed Leicester City and Plymouth Argyle.
Then following a goalless draw away at Sunderland, Liam Manning‘s side returned to winning ways in style by thrashing Blackburn Rovers 5-0 on home turf, thanks to braces from Tommy Conway and Nahki Wells and an Anis Mehmeti goal, before playing out consecutive draws heading into the penultimate league game of the season on Saturday.
After hosting relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town and snatching a point from a 1-1 draw thanks to Wells’s penalty deep into injury time, the Robins most recently visited Carrow Road to meet sixth-placed Norwich City on Saturday and again took a share of the spoils as the contest ended level at a goal apiece, with Haydon Roberts opening the scoring early in the second half only for Borja Sainz to instantly equalise for the hosts.
With confidence rising in the camp following another pleasing result, having moved into 12th spot with a three-point lead over 13th-placed Sunderland thanks to their upturn in form, Bristol City will now bid to continue their impressive run into the end of the term under Manning and seal a top-half finish with a home triumph.
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They meet a Rotherham United side also keen to end their season on a high in the final two rounds of games, having already had their relegation back to League One confirmed in the midst of a difficult season.
The Millers have spent the majority of their second in a two-season stay in England’s second tier in the bottom three, and after Leam Richardson replaced Matt Taylor in the dugout in mid-December, the Millers were unable to produce an improvement to climb towards safety and saw their fate sealed in a 1-0 home defeat to Plymouth Argyle earlier this month.
That left them on 23 points from 41 outings, and following two further losses at the hands of West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City, Richardson would depart to be replaced by returning Millers boss Steve Evans, who last led the South Yorkshire outfit in 2015 after guiding them to two promotions between League Two and the Championship.
His second tenure began with a home meeting against Birmingham City on Saturday, and in a game delayed by an emergency in the stands, the Millers came away with a share of the spoils from a goalless draw.
Now confined to a 24th-placed finish with just 24 points on the board and two league games remaining, Rotherham United will bid to bow out on a positive note under their new boss with a pair of more pleasing results before beginning another bid for promotion next term.
Bristol City Championship form:
Rotherham United Championship form:
Team News
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Liam Manning may deploy an unchanged Bristol City starting XI from their draw away at Norwich City on Saturday, with defenders Rob Atkinson, Zak Vyner and Kal Naismith remaining out of action through injuries alongside midfielder Ayman Benarous and winger Sam Bell.
Given those losses at the back, Haydon Roberts should again join Rob Dickie and George Tanner in a defensive trio, while Jason Knight and Joe Williams will continue in the centre of a 3-4-3 setup.
At the top end of the pitch, Nahki Wells, Anis Mehmeti and Harry Cornick will all fight to come into the attack from the outset, after Mark Sykes, Tommy Conway and Scott Twine were preferred for the trip to Carrow Road.
Rotherham United also continue to contend with several injury issues, as defenders Tyler Blackett and Sean Morrison, midfielder Christ Tiehi and winger Andre Green remain confined to the treatment room.
Their concerns were worsened in the recent meeting with Birmingham City, as defender Peter Kioso and midfielder Cafu were both forced off in the first half, meaning Grant Hall may come into a back four from the outset with Lee Peltier likely shifting to the right-hand side.
Elsewhere, Arvin Appiah may take Cafu’s place in the centre with Andy Rinomhota, Oliver Rathbone and Hakeem Odoffin, while Jordan Hugill and Sam Nombe should again lead the line despite competition from Tom Eaves.
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O’Leary; Tanner, Dickie, Roberts; McCrorie, Knight, Williams, Pring; Sykes, Wells, Mehmeti
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Peltier, Hall, Humphreys, Revan; Appiah, Rinomhota, Odoffin; Rathbone; Hugill, Nombe
We say: Bristol City 2-0 Rotherham United
Rotherham United showed renewed signs of fight in their first game under the stewardship of Steve Evans last weekend, but they face a tougher test on Saturday away at an in-form Bristol City side and we can only envisage the Robins having too much quality and taking all three points at Ashton Gate.
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