Two teams battling for a place in the Championship playoff spots will come together on Friday night as Bristol City play host to Norwich City.
The hosts are seventh in the table and just two points outside the top six, while the visitors are 11th and seven points adrift of the playoff spots.
Match preview
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Since securing their promotion to the Championship by lifting the League One title in 2014-15, Bristol City have failed to finish inside the playoff places in any of the following nine years.
The Robins are on the hunt for a top-six finish once again this season, and they are currently just adrift of their goal as they sit seventh in the table, only two points behind sixth-placed Coventry City.
A strong run of form in recent weeks has seen them close that gap on the playoff spots, rising from 12th on matchday 23 to seventh heading into matchday 38, thanks to seven wins, six draws and two losses in that time.
As sixth-placed Coventry face a challenging matchup with fourth-placed Sunderland, a victory for Bristol City on Friday could see them climb into the top six.
However, Bristol City will face a similarly difficult test, welcoming fellow playoff-hopefuls Norwich City to the Robins High Performance Centre, a side that they have defeated only twice in the last 16 meetings.
Norwich are currently placed 11th in the Championship standings, having accumulated 49 points after 37 games, from 12 wins, 13 draws and 12 losses, leaving them seven points outside the top six.
Johannes Thorup‘s side have experienced a slight downturn in form in recent weeks, managing only one victory in their last seven outings, alongside four draws and two losses.
Those results have seen them fall further behind the playoff places, leaving Thorup desperate for his side to return to winning ways in order to get their playoff push back on track.
Team News
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The hosts will be without both Ayman Benarous and Luke McNally for the remainder of the season due to cruciate ligament injuries, while Josh Campbell-Slowey and Ross McCrorie are also injured for this one.
Mark Sykes came off the bench to score a 90th-minute equaliser against Sheffield United last time out, and the midfielder may be rewarded with a start here as a result.
As for Norwich, Angus Gunn (muscle), Ben Chrisene (ankle), Gabriel Forsyth (knee), George Long (concussion), Lewis Dobbin (calf), Liam Gibbs (hamstring), Marcelino Nunez (muscle) and Matej Jurasek (leg) are all out with injuries.
Joshua Sargent has been in spectacular goalscoring form in recent weeks, with eight goals in his last nine appearances, and the striker is expected to lead the line on Friday.
Championship top scorer Borja Sainz scored his first league goal since November in their last outing, and the winger will pair Sargent and Ante Crnac in attack.
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O’Leary; Tanner, Dickie, Vyner; Williams, Knight; Sykes, Hirakawa, Twine, Roberts; Armstrong
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Reyes; Fisher, Duffy, Cordoba, Doyle; Wright, McLean, Slimane; Crnac, Sargent, Sainz
We say: Bristol City 1-3 Norwich City
Bristol City may hold the home advantage, but Norwich have had the upper hand in recent meetings between these two sides, and we expect that to continue with a victory for the visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
