Bristol City v Southampton Preview

Posted on | February 13, 2009 | No Comments

Bristol City’s form in recent weeks has transformed them into play off challengers and with the Robins being just three points off the top six, they know the importance of victory over Southampton on Saturday. However, Saints have everything to play for as well and Mark Wotte’s men desperately need the three points if they are to edge closer to exiting the drop zone.

Bristol City’s season has turned round emphatically in the last month or so and the Robins are now firmly back in the play off picture. Just before Christmas, they went on an abysmal run which saw some pundits even tip them for a relegation struggle. However, Gary Johnson has completely turned things around and the Ashton Gate side now sit in 8^th position in the table. It wasn’t so long ago that they had some of the worst form in the league but now they’re one of the teams to beat and they’ve put together a run that’s seen them not lose in their last seven league outings. They’ve won each of their last four games as well and with Southampton being one of the weaker teams, City have got to be clear favorites.

Saints have had a turbulent season and it’s been left up to Mark Wotte to pick up the pieces and try and keep the St Mary’s club in the division. As it stands they’re in 23^rd position and with four points separating them from safety, it’s not looking good at the moment. They haven’t won in their last four and with some tricky fixtures coming up soon, it’s paramount that Saints get a few points under their belt. Perhaps the biggest positive their supporters can take at the moment is their goal scoring statistics. While under Jan Poortvliet they struggled in front of goal, under Mark Wotte they’ve been much more clinical and have bagged five in the three games he’s been in charge. If they can get sorted at the back, perhaps they’ll have a chance of staying up.

As for team news, Bristol City have a few problems heading into this one with injuries forcing Marvin Elliott and Jamie McCombe out while Stern John is ruled out through ineligibility. However, there is one good piece of good news for Gary Johnson, with Cole Skuse now available after recovering from a back problem. As for Saints, Mark Wotte welcomes back Lee Molyneux who returns from a one game ban. However, it’s not all rosy for the new St Mary’s manager, with Lee Holmes and Oscar Gobern both missing through injuries.

As for a prediction, it’s got to be a home win. Bristol City are in very good form at the moment and with Southampton being just plain inconsistent this term, we’ll go with a 2-1 Robins victory.

Related posts:

1. Southampton v Bristol City Preview
2. Bristol City v Southampton Preview
3. Scunthorpe v Bristol City Preview
4. Barnsley v Bristol City Preview
5. Bristol City v Barnsley Preview

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