Bristol City play host to Wycombe Wanderers on Boxing Day looking to end a three-match losing streak in the Championship.
Meanwhile, the visitors are without a win since November 4, a run which has left the division minnows four points adrift of safety.
Match preview
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With his team having suffered four defeats in five matches, question marks are beginning to emerge regarding the appointment of Bristol City boss Dean Holden.
Although the side performed above expectations during the early days of his reign, the Robins still possess the inconsistency which ultimately led to previous manager Lee Johnson losing his job.
Each of the four setbacks came against opponents which Bristol City were expected to beat, results made worse by a failure to score a single goal.
On the positive side, Holden's outfit remain within three points of the playoffs, and there can be few arguments that a home fixture against Wycombe is the perfect game at this stage.
Nevertheless, while there is a window of opportunity for Bristol City, Holden will face fierce criticism from the club's supporters if his players cannot get the better of the bottom-placed team in the division.
Having failed to prevail in any of their 10 most recent matches, Gareth Ainsworth will be relieved that Wycombe remain within touching distance of getting out of trouble.
Claiming a 1-1 draw against Queens Park Rangers last time out felt like a step in the right direction, but the Chairboys need to quickly get another triumph on the board if they wish to stay competitive.
The Christmas and New Year period sees them take on three opponents, the others being Cardiff City and Middlesbrough, who are all competing for a playoff spot.
On paper, earning a couple of points from such games would be deemed to be acceptable, although Ainsworth is desperately searching for the catalyst which can breathe much-needed life back into the club's season.
Bristol City Championship form: WLWLLL
Wycombe Wanderers Championship form: LDLLLD
Team News
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Wycombe manager Ainsworth may hand a recall to Fred Onyedinma, who could potentially take the place of either Scott Kashket or Adebayo Akinfenwa.
The remainder of the team may remain the same after their solid defensive effort against QPR.
Having had over a week to prepare for this game, Holden may have used the time to consider numerous changes to his Bristol City XI.
Tyreeq Bakinson and Antoine Semenyo are in line to feature after their substitute appearances at Preston.
Famara Diedhiou could also be provided with an instant recall on the back of serving a one-match suspension.
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Bentley; Vyner, Kalas, Moore; Hunt, Bakinson, Nagy, O'Dowda, Rowe; Diedhiou, Semenyo
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Allsopp; Grimmer, Knight, McCarthy, Jacobson; Wheeler, Freeman; McCleary, Horgan, Onyedinma; Akinfenwa
We say: Bristol City 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers
Despite the difference in class, we expect a closely-fought contest at Ashton Gate as both teams look to get back on track. Nevertheless, the Robins should have too much quality for a side who may be tempted to take more risks than normal going forward.
Top betting tip
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bristol City win with a probability of 40.4%. A win for Wycombe Wanderers had a probability of 32.37% and a draw had a probability of 27.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a Bristol City win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.31%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.43%) and 2-0 (7.39%). The likeliest Wycombe Wanderers win was 0-1 (9.86%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.89%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 8.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Bristol City would win this match.
