Bristol City vs. Norwich: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Bristol City are in good form on the whole, even if they have been held to a few disappointing draws recently, which Norwich are coming into the game off the back of a very damaging defeat.

Bristol City are in decent form on home soil, having won three of their last five games, while Norwich have won only one of their last five on the road. When these two sides met earlier in the season, the Robins ran out 2-0 winners, and we expect a similar result here. Bristol City 2-1 Norwich.

Bristol City's playoff push continues in the Championship this week as they take on Norwich City.

• Date: 14/03/2025
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Location: Ashton Gate, Bristol

Bristol City are currently 7th in the Championship with 54 points from 37 games. The Robins are having a strong campaign in England's second tier and come into this game harbouring hopes of claiming a playoff spot.

Bristol City are perpetual mid-table dwellers in the Championship and their fans have been pining for a serious playoff run for years, and it looks like this might just be the year. With nine games of the campaign remaining, Liam Manning's team are just two points shy of Coventry in 6th, and with the way they're playing, they'll have every confidence they can claim a top six finish.

Outside of the top four teams in the league, the standard this season is fairly poor, and there are five or six teams all vying for the 5th and 6th placed spots in the league. On current form, the Robins look like one of the more likely contenders, but the vast majority of teams have really struggled for consistency this season so it's going to be a difficult run in to predict.

In terms of fixture difficulty, the Robins have a very, very tough final nine games, so they're going to have to be at the top of their game to reach the playoffs. They're facing a vulnerable Norwich side this weekend and they want to be a top six side come May, this is a must-win.

Norwich City are currently 11th in the Championship with 49 points from 37 games. It's been a frustrating season for a Canaries side that have largely underperformed so far.

Norwich came into the campaign with playoff ambitions, and while they're still mathematically in the hunt, their chances are looking slimmer by the week. Johannes Hoff Thorup's side have been careless, and can even be described as "soft", as they regularly throw away games from advantageous positions. No side has lost more points from a winning position (27) this season than Norwich, who were also the league leaders in that statistic last season.

In Josh Sargent, Norwich have arguably the best striker in the league, and with other top Championship performers like Borja Sainz, Kenny McClean and Callum Doyle, it could be argued that they should comfortably be a playoff side in what is such a weak season.

If they want to salvage their playoff hopes, they quickly need to come into form, and their chances would be boosted massively by a win at Ashton Gate this weekend.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on Sky Sports Football.

Bristol City Team News:

The Robins will be missing Ross McRorie, Joshua Campbell-Slowey and Luke McNally for this one, with the trio all out injured.

After strong showings off the bench in midweek, George Earthy and Mark Sykes could come into the starting XI.

Predicted lineup: O'Leary; Tanner, Dickie, Vyner; Williams, Knight; Earthy, Sykes, Twine, Roberts; Armstrong.

Norwich Team News:

The Canaries have a pretty lengthy injury list, with Lucien Mahovo, Kieran Gibbs, Marcelino Nunez, Angus Gunn, Ben Chrisene and George Long all on the sidelines.

Josh Sargent should be in line for a recall to the starting XI, while Jacob Sorensen is also likely to start.

Predicted lineup: Reyes; Fisher, Duffy, Cordoba, Doyle; Sorensen, McClean, Ben Slimane; Crnac, Sargent, Sainz.

Bristol City:

Bristol City's form is solid, with Manning's men having won two and drawn three of their last five games. Last time out, a stoppage-time equaliser by Mark Sykes helped the Robins claim a huge point in a 1-1 draw at Sheffield United, a result that followed a 1-1 draw with Hull City, where Mehmeti scored the goal.

Before that, Bristol City beat Millwall 2-0 away from home, with Vyner and Cornick scoring the goals, a result that followed a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough, thanks to a George Earthy brace, and a 1-1 draw at Cardiff, with Salech scoring the goal.

Norwich:

Norwich's form is poor on the whole, with the Canaries winning one, drawing three and losing one of their last five games. During the week, Norwich lost 2-3 to Sheffield Wednesday after going 2-0 up through Sainz and Crnac, a result that was preceded by 1-1 draws with Oxford, where Sargent scored the goal, and Blackburn, with the goal coming from Crnac.

Those results were preceded by a 4-2 win over Stoke - courtesy of goals from Dobbin, Sargent (X2) and an own goal - and a 1-1 draw with Hull, thanks to a goal from Sargent.

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