Bristol City vs Southampton predictions: Manning's men may frustrate Saints
- Four of Bristol City’s last six matches have finished level
- Southampton have drawn six of their last 10 away matches
- Recommended bet: Draw
Southampton clawed themselves back from the brink of a shock defeat against Huddersfield on Saturday, coming back from being two goals down at the half to win 5-3.
They will need a repeat of their second-half display as opposed to their showing in the first period if they are to get a positive result at an improving Bristol City side.
The Robins have lost just six matches since Liam Manning replaced Nigel Pearson in the dugout and their impressive home form, combined with the boost they would have received from beating Middlesbrough at the Riverside on Saturday, could make life difficult for the Saints at Ashton Gate on Tuesday.
Team news
City will continue to be without injured fivesome Scott Twine, Mark Sykes, Kal Naismith, Ayman Benarous and Rob Atkinson, but, with no fresh injury concerns, Manning could name an unchanged side from the one that won on Teesside.
Juan Larios, James Bree and Ross Stewart will all miss out for Saints with injuries, while the game will come too soon for Joe Aribo, who was part of the Nigeria side who lost the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.
The stats
Four of Bristol City’s last six matches have finished level, as well as two of their last three at Ashton Gate.
None of the Robins’ last five home fixtures have gone over 2.5 goals, while Jason Knight has scored in each of his last two appearances for City.
Southampton have drawn six of their last 10 away matches and are on a 25-match unbeaten run that has seen them win 18 games.
Both sides have scored in six of Southampton's last eight away games.
Prediction
While Southampton’s 25-match unbeaten run has been mightily impressive, there have been signs of weakness on their travels.
Six of their last 10 away matches have finished level, with draws against inconsistent sides such as Watford and Huddersfield underpinning how their performances weaken when playing away from St Mary’s.
That could spell trouble for Russell Martin’s side on Tuesday as they head to Ashton Gate, where Bristol City have recently beaten and drawn with Premier League outfits West Ham and Nottingham Forest respectively, highlighting their ability to mix it with the best on their own patch.
Their win against Middlesbrough was extremely impressive, as was their home win over the same opponents and their victories against Sunderland and Hull.
The Robins seem to be improving week-on-week under Manning and could stand firm to earn a point against Saints as they look to build momentum ahead of a potential late charge towards the play-off places.
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