Bristol City vs Sunderland predictions: Close contest expected at Ashton Gate
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- Bristol City have lost only three of their 21 home league matches
- The first meeting between these teams this season was a 1-1 draw
- Recommended bet: Draw
There is only one place between Bristol City and Sunderland in the Championship table, but that is a little misleading as the Robins trail the Black Cats by 12 points with four games left.
Sunderland are all but locked in to fourth place in the second tier as they trail third-placed Sheffield United by seven points.
City's final placing is much less certain with Coventry just one point behind them in sixth, with West Brom, Middlesbrough and Millwall all four points adrift and looking to force their way into the play-off places.
Second-placed Burnley are the only team to beat Bristol City in their last 11 games and the Robins are unbeaten in their last six home fixtures, while Sunderland are looking to bounce back after a 1-0 defeat to Swansea last time out and goals have become a concern for them with only two scored in their last five matches.
Sunderland scored a late equaliser to draw 1-1 when the teams met at the Stadium of Light in a midweek match in December and there may not be much between the sides in Bristol either.
Team news
Bristol City manager Liam Manning could opt to make changes after the 1-1 draw at QPR but has no reported new injury problems. Luke McNally and Ayman Benarous are long–term injury victims for the Robins.
Jobe Bellingham (ankle) could be back in the Sunderland squad after missing the last two games but Romaine Mundle, Dan Ballard, Dennis Cirkin, Jenson Seelt, Ian Poveda, Niall Huggins, Jayden Danns and Ahmed Abdullahi are still out.
Defender Aji Alese, previously thought likely to miss the rest of the season, could now be back in time for the play-offs.
The stats
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Both teams have scored in Bristol City's last five Championship home games.
The Robins have won their last three home matches 2-1.
City have not scored more than two goals in any of their 19 games in 2025.
The Robins have won 12 of their 21 home league fixtures, with only Leeds and Sheffield United having won more.
Four of Sunderland's eight defeats this season were by a 1-0 scoreline.
The Black Cats have lost only two of their last eight away games.
None of Sunderland's last 11 games produced over 3.5 goals.
Regis Le Bris' men have scored only three goals in their last six matches.
The last four meetings between these teams have all gone under 2.5 goals.
Prediction
Three of the last four matches between Bristol City and Sunderland have been drawn and it is perfectly plausible for Friday's match at Ashton Gate to end with the scores level too.
The draw certainly seems to offer the best value as the biggest price of the three main match-market options with Sunderland neither scoring nor conceding many goals in their recent outings.
It is an awkward spell for the Black Cats, who are really just marking time until the play-offs, but the realistic prospect of meeting City twice more in the post-season tournament should mean they will not want to roll over easily in this contest.
Regis Le Bris will be keen for his Sunderland side to avoid entering into a form slump before the play-offs after the 1-0 defeat by Swansea and his team have lost back-to-back games only once all season, which bodes well for their chances of picking up a point in Bristol.
The Robins have drawn three of their last seven games and have 16 draws in 42 league matches overall this season, while Sunderland have lost only six of 21 in the league on the road.
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