Bristol City vs Hull City predictions: Selles' stars to land road glory
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- Bristol City are seventh after their 2-0 win at Millwall
- Hull eased relegation worries by beating Plymouth 2-0 on Tuesday
- Recommended bet: Hull City to win
It has been a good week for both Bristol City and Hull City as they prepare to clash at Ashton Gate in the Championship on Saturday.
The Robins moved up to seventh with a solid 2-0 win at Millwall and are outside the play-offs on goal difference alone, while Hull eased their relegation concerns by beating Plymouth 2-0.
Team news
Bristol City were without seven-goal Nahki Wells at Millwall on Tuesday night, but manager Liam Manning hopes it is nothing more than a muscle tweak and that he will be available to face the Tigers.
Steven Alzate should be fit to start for Hull after coming off the bench against Plymouth, while Kasey Palmer, also a substitute against Argyle, could make his first start since before Christmas.
Matt Crooks is also expected to shake off a knock, though January arrival Eliot Mazato is out for the season.
The stats
Bristol City have lost only one of their last eight matches and have taken 10 points out of the last possible 12.
Hull are 21st in the division, yet only five teams have won more away games than their six.
Since Christmas, they have won four of six on the road, at Blackburn, Millwall, Sheffield United and Sunderland.
Twenty-three of Hull's 35 league matches have produced two goals or fewer.
Bristol City have won their last five home fixtures against Hull and the last six Championship matches between these sides at Ashton Gate have produced 25 goals.
Prediction
This year's Championship play-off scrap looks wide open with seven or eight clubs in the frame for fifth and sixth places, and Bristol City are very much one of them.
They skipped into the top six last week after beating Middlesbrough 2-1 and are now outside the play-offs on goal difference alone following their 2-0 success at Millwall.
What Manning's side lack in stature and pedigree, they are making up for in grit and eking out results and they do their best work at Ashton Gate, where they have won nine times in the league.
They are odds-on to take care of Hull City but this division continues to throw up surprising results, as the Tigers have very recently proved.
Since Christmas they have played six away games, five of them at top-half opponents. And they won four of those, against Blackburn, Sheffield United, Millwall and Sunderland.
The league table says Hull are still struggling but they have unquestionably improved under Ruben Selles, who took the helm at the MKM Stadium in December.
Not afraid to travel, they could triumph again on Saturday.
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