Bristol City will look to seal a playoff place when they face Preston North End on the final day of the Championship season.
Meanwhile, the relegation-threatened visitors will try to preserve their Championship status when they travel to Ashton Gate for Saturday’s contest.
Match preview
Bristol City head into the final weekend of the season in fifth place in the Championship table after winning 17, drawing 16 and losing 12 of their 45 league matches this season.
The Robins have their destiny in their own hands, although they have already missed two chances to secure a playoff place, losing back-to-back away games against Luton Town and Leeds United.
After losing 3-1 against the Hatters, Liam Manning‘s side fell to another disappointing loss in Monday’s meeting with promoted Leeds United, conceding three second-half goals in a 4-0 defeat.
As a result, Bristol City are sitting just one point clear of Coventry City and Millwall in sixth and seventh place respectively, while they have a two-point gap to Blackburn Rovers and a three-point buffer over Middlesbrough.
The Robins know that a win would seal a spot in the Championship playoffs for the first time since 2007-08, but a failure to collect all three points would leave them relying on favours from elsewhere.
With a playoff place on the line, Bristol City can take confidence from the fact that they have won six of their previous seven home matches, including 2-1 victories in each of their last four outings at the Ashton Gate.
While the hosts are dreaming of the Premier League, Preston are at risk of dropping down to League One after hitting a poor run of form at the business end of the season.
The Lilywhites went into the March international break in 14th position with 47 points from 38 league matches, leaving nine points adrift of the drop zone with eight games left to play.
Preston have since dropped down to 20th position, having taken just two points from their seven league games since the international window, including 2-1 defeats in each of their previous four matches.
Emil Riis‘ 90th-minute effort proved to be a mere consolation in last Saturday’s home loss to Plymouth Argyle, leaving Preston just one point clear of the bottom three ahead of the final day trip to Ashton Gate.
A loss will see Preston’s 10-season stay in the second tier come to an end if Hull and Luton pick up a point and Derby avoid a considerable swing in goal difference, while a draw will only be enough if Hull and Luton fail to win and Derby lose to Stoke.
Their hopes of securing safety with a win may be tempered by the fact they have failed to win any of their previous five away games against Bristol City since they recorded a 1-0 victory in November 2018 (D3, L2).
Team News
Bristol City are unable to call upon the services of Luke McNally, Ayman Benarous, Mark Sykes and Harry Cornick.
Cam Pring will miss a second straight game with a hamstring injury, and it remains to be seen whether he will recover in time to feature in the playoffs if the Robins secure a top-six finish.
Anis Mehmeti could be hoping for a recall after coming off the bench to play over half an hour in Monday’s defeat to Leeds.
As for the visitors, they are expected to be without Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, Freddie Woodman, Jack Whatmough, Ali McCann and Brad Potts.
Will Keane and Sam Greenwood are also doubts for the final game of the season, having missed the last two matches through injury.
Midfielder Ryan Ledson will be available for selection after he returned from a three-game injury absence to feature as a substitute against Plymouth.
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O’Leary, Tanner, Dickie, Vyner; McCrorie, Knight, McGuane, Roberts; Bird, Mehmeti; Wells
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Cornell; Storey, Gibson, Lindsay; Kesler-Hayden, Thordarson, Whiteman, Brady, Meghoma; Riis, Osmajic
We say: Bristol City 2-1 Preston North End
Bristol City may have lost back-to-back away games, but they will still fancy their chances of claiming maximum points, considering they have won each of their last four home matches.
We ultimately believe the Robins will do enough to edge out a Preston side that have lost five of their previous six away games.
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