Eng. Championship
2013-01-26 - Bristol City vs Ipswich Town
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Championship
Saturday 26 January 2013 - Kick Off 3pm
Bristol City
Bristol City will be hoping that Nottingham Forest's loss will be their gain as Sean O'Driscoll takes charge of his first match as the Robins manager at Ashton Gate. With the team struggling in the Championship, it will still be a remarkable achievement if O'Driscoll can keep them in this Division come May.
The side are currently bottom of the Championship with 22 points and results last weekend means they are now 7 points behind Sheffield Wednesday in the final position of safety. Bristol City have a 3-2-8 record at home this season, scoring 24 goals and conceding 33 in those games, and that gives them the worst home defensive record so far this season in the Championship.
Derek McInnes was fired as manager following a run of 3 straight defeats in all competitions and that was followed up with a fourth defeat in a row at Elland Road last weekend. Bristol City have only won 1 of their last 11 home games and they have actually lost 3 of their last 4 ahead of this one. The side have only picked up 5 points from the last 33 available at Ashton Gate to sink to the bottom of the table.
Ipswich Town
Bristol City will be hoping their new manager can have the same type of impact that Mick McCarthy has had at Ipswich Town where he has guided the team out of the relegation zone since taking over from Paul Jewell. While survival is still the key for Ipswich going into the final 4 months of the season, the run of positive form will have given the fans plenty of hope ahead of this period.
The side have moved up to 19th in the Championship table and their 32 points earned means Ipswich are now 6 points clear of the relegation zone, although they still hold the worst goal difference in the League. Ipswich have actually been a more effective away side than at Portman Road this season and they have compiled a 5-3-6 record on their travels, scoring 11 goals and conceding 27. They are the lowest away scorers in the League, but only 4 teams have won more games away from home.
Ipswich have failed to win any of their last 4 games in all competitions, although they have earned a decent draw at Cardiff City in those games. The Tractor Boys are unbeaten in their last 3 away games in the Championship, winning 2 of those games and drawing the other at the leaders of the Division. In fact, Ipswich have picked up 10 points from their last 15 away from home in the Championship.
Head to Head
Bristol City and Ipswich Town drew 1-1 at Portman Road earlier this season.
Ipswich had won 4 in a row overall before that draw earlier in the season and they have a decent record at Ashton Gate in recent seasons.
The side are unbeaten in 4 games at Bristol City, winning on their last 2 visits to Ashton Gate.
Prediction
I do think Sean O'Driscoll will begin to get the best out of the players at Bristol City, but it is a tough ask for him to turnaround their fortunes and keep them in the Championship.
They have particularly struggled to perform at home where they have lost 6 of 8 in the Championship and their sole win in that time came when Peterborough United had a man sent off in the first 11 minutes of that game.
With Ipswich Town getting plenty of positive results away from home in recent games in the League, this is a chance for them to get another, but I am going to stick with them on the round ball rather than taking them to win outright.
At least this way we get to save our money if it ends in draw, but hopefully Ipswich will have enough to take home the three points.
The Pick :
Bristol City 1-2 Ipswich Town
