Bristol City vs Leicester City Prediction & Betting Tips

Bristol City welcome Leicester City to Ashton Gate, in what will be a crucial fixture for those at the top of the league.

Date: 29/03/24

Kick-off time: 12:30

Venue: Ashton Gate Stadium

Leicester have seen their once 11-point lead at the top of the Championship completely erased following a string of poor results. They had occupied top spot for a long period, but are now looking up at new league leaders Leeds United who they trail on goal difference, though they have a game in hand. Just one win in their last five also has them nervously looking over their shoulders at Ipswich, who are third. The Foxes hold just a single point advantage over them. Now that they have been eliminated from the FA Cup following defeat at Chelsea, all attention is now on the push for the title and automatic promotion straight back to the Premier League.

The hosts Bristol City are languishing in mid-table, with not much to play for. On 47 points, they are too far back to make a play-off push, but they are also comfortably safe from the relegation zone. This means they come into this game with little pressure which could prove dangerous for their opponents. However, they have won only once in the last five, which could make them the perfect opponent to help Leicester get back on track.

Despite their slump, Leicester are still the league’s second best in defence and attack. Bristol City have kept one clean sheet in their last 13 games, suggesting there could be some goals in it for Enzo Maresca’s side. Even at 37-years old, Jamie Vardy still leads the way for his team with 13 goals, even having missed time through injury. He will hope to add to his tally, and will get some help up top from the likes of Stephy Mavididi and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who have scored 20 goals between them.

Since 2010, these two teams have faced each other eight times, all coming in the Championship. Leicester have edged the meetings, winning four games to three, and they have won three in a row. The reverse fixture earlier this season ended in their favour, as they beat City 1-0, thanks to a Vardy penalty.

Bristol City

Matty James has an Achilles problem that has kept him out of recent games. He has since returned to training but his availability is in question. Kal Naismith is out with a calf issue. Sam Bell and Ayman Benarous are out for the remainder of the season.

Leicester City

Jamie Vardy missed the FA Cup clash with Chelsea due to a knock, but hopes to return this weekend. Ricardo Pereira and Dennis Praet are nursing hamstring injuries that are expected to keep them out until next month.

Bristol City

In their last five games, Bristol City have won one and lost four. It has been a rough stretch of form for the mid-table side, with their most recent outing a 2-0 defeat at West Brom. They conceded a goal either side of half-time and were never able to recover.

This followed their only win of this run, which was a 1-0 victory over Swansea City. They were dominated in possession by their visitors, who had 73% of the ball, but also restricted them to zero shots on target. Bristol City only had two on target of their own, but made one of them count as Robert Dickie scored a 73rd minute winner to take the three points. City would have been disappointed to leave promotion chasing Ipswich with nothing, after they narrowly lost 3-2. It was goalless at half-time, but Anis Mehmeti broke the deadlock putting the away side a goal up. Ipswich equalised, before Tommy Conway restored the Robins’ lead. Conor Chaplin pegged them back once more, and the hosts eventually went ahead in the 89th minute with Leif Davis’ strike proving the difference.

Another narrow defeat preceded this, this time a 1-0 loss at home to Cardiff. City had almost double the attempts of their opponents, but the Bluebirds came out on top with a Perry Ng winner. The first game of this run resulted in zero points once more as they fell 2-1 at Sheffield Wednesday. Ike Ugbo scored a brace either side of a Jason Knight leveller. Wednesday were reduced to 10 late on, but Bristol City could not take advantage.

Leicester City

In their last five games, Leicester have won two, lost two and drawn one. The Foxes have endured a tough run which has seen their lead at the top erased. This stretch has seen them compete in both the Championship and the FA Cup, in which they were eliminated in their most recent outing. The first game of this stretch was a 1-0 win at Premier League Bournemouth in the Fifth Round of the cup. After finishing 0-0 in regulation, Abdul Fatuwu scored on the stroke of half-time in extra time to send them through. This set up a quarter-final tie at Chelsea, which was their latest fixture. Two goals from Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer put the hosts two up before the break. A comedic own goal from Axel Disasi allowed the away side back into the tie, before a stunning finish from Stephy Mavididi levelled it. Leicester were in the ascendency, but Callum Doyle got himself a straight red for denial of a goalscoring opportunity. Chelsea eventually scored the winner through Carney Chukwuemeka in stoppage time before Noni Madueke added another to make it 4-2.

Between these two cup ties, they played three league games. First against QPR, in which they lost 2-1 at the King Power. The visitors took the lead through Ilias Chair before the break, before they doubled their advantage shortly after the restart. Ben Nelson pulled one back, but the comeback fell short. They then picked up a huge and much needed win at Sunderland. It was a very close game throughout, but it was decided by an early Jamie Vardy goal. They could not carry this momentum forward, however, as they dropped points at Hull. It may be viewed as a point gained though, given they came from behind twice thanks to a Vardy brace, who netted his side’s only shots on target.

This is a very important game for Leicester who desperately need a win to keep pace with Leeds. Bristol City have found wins hard to come by, and their search is likely to continue following this game. Expect a strong showing from the visitors to get back to winning ways – Bristol City 1-3 Leicester City

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Bristol City vs Leicester City will be available to watch on Sky Sports Football.

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