Bristol City play host to Stoke City on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that could move the club into the Championship playoff spots.
At a time when the home side sit in ninth position in the standings, Stoke are down in 20th place with Alex Neil fighting to save his job at the bet365 Stadium.
Match preview
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As in seasons gone by, Bristol City supporters will be awaiting their club to go on the kind of inconsistent run that leaves them safe but without much to play for in the second half of the season.
Having failed to post the same result in succession during the start of the 2023-24 Championship campaign, that scenario could easily materialise once again, yet Nigel Pearson's side deserve credit for their most recent performances.
A total of 12 points have been collected from eight matches, with the second of their two defeats coming by a 1-0 scoreline away at leaders Leicester City last weekend.
Going down to a second-half penalty will frustrate the Robins, yet Pearson will be keen to move on from that disappointment having previously put together a four-match undefeated streak.
Goals are an issue - four of their nine strikes came in the same match - but there is every indication that they have the qualities to keep things ticking over in the hope of making a push for the top six.
Stoke had hoped to find themselves in the same bracket but Neil is potentially on the brink of losing his job at the Potters.
Four defeats from five games have left Stoke just two points above the relegation zone, with a total of five losses coming from eight league matches this season.
A 3-1 defeat to Hull City last weekend was met by anger from the home supporters, who then saw Stoke bow out of the EFL Cup to Bournemouth three days later.
Neil has now lost 25 of his 54 matches in charge - winning just 18 - and how Stoke do during a triple-header against Bristol City, Southampton and Leicester could make or break whether the Scot remains in the dugout.
Team News
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Despite defeat to Leicester, Pearson may opt against making many changes to his Bristol City XI.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Andreas Weimann are both pushing for recalls with George Tanner and Jason Knight potentially dropping down to the substitutes' bench.
Neil is preparing for his third Stoke game in the space of a week and will likely revert back to much of the team that started against Hull having made changes for the Bournemouth tie on Wednesday.
Tyrese Campbell has joined the Stoke injury list, while Andre Vidigal may only be deemed fit enough to feature among the replacements after returning from a stint on the sidelines last week.
Dwight Gayle is in contention to start ahead of Wesley in attack, but midfielder Wouter Burger may miss out with the fitness issue that led to his early withdrawal versus Hull.
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O'Leary; Tanner, Dickie, Naismith, Pring; James, Williams; Sykes, Weimann, Bell; Wells
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Travers; Gooch, McNally, Rose, Wilmot, Johnson; Thompson, Laurent, Pearson; Gayle, Haksabanovic
We say: Bristol City 2-1 Stoke City
Even in defeat to Leicester, Bristol City gave a positive account of themselves, and that should stand them in good stead this weekend. Stoke look like they are making no progress under Neil, leading us to predict a home win, albeit by a narrow margin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Darren Plant
