Ashton Gate is the venue for this fixture between two inconsistent outfits as Bristol City play host to Barnsley with a precious three points up for grabs for both teams as they look to improve upon their respective positions in the Championship of 9th and 22nd respectively.
A 2-0 win away from home at lowly Wigan Athletic on the weekend handed Bristol City a second win in three matches in the Championship and followed an earlier 3-0 home win against another struggling outfit, Luton Town, beforehand.
However, Lee Johnson’s side continue to frustrate and produce inconsistent displays and this has been underlined by 5 defeats within their last 7 matches overall in the second tier which has seen The Robins drop out of the play-off pack.
Bristol City have another golden opportunity to get their season back on track this Saturday though as they entertain third from bottom club Barnsley, but having lost 3 of their last 4 matches at home, Bristol City are far from guaranteed a straight win here.
Instead, 8 of City’s 13 home matches so far have resulted in over 2.5 goals, so this looks more appealing.
Visitors, Barnsley, currently occupy third from bottom in the Championship but they handed themselves a lifeline with a 2-1 home win against Yorkshire rivals, Huddersfield Town which will no doubt give them a timely boost ahead of their trip down to the west country this Saturday.
Indeed, Barnsley have produced some encouraging results in recent weeks as they’ve suffered just 1 defeat out of their last 7 matches in the Championship, and they’re now just 1 point behind fourth from bottom club, Stoke City, and safety ahead of this weekend’s action.
However, wins on the road continue to elude Gerhard Struber’s side as The Tykes have picked up just 1 win away from home all season from their total of 13 matches played on their travels to date this term.
It therefore may be more prudent to look at the goals market as well where the visitors are concerned, and with 7 of Barnsley’s last 9 away matches resulting in over 2.5 goals scored, this looks the better option for this clash.
With both teams producing inconsistent results at home and away respectively, there should be a few goals in this encounter.