Preview: Bristol City vs West Bromwich Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

On a mission to halt a worrying winless run, Bristol City host strugglers West Bromwich Albion at Ashton Gate in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

The Robins snatched a point late on at Middlesbrough last time out, whilst the Baggies picked up a much-needed victory over promotion-chasing Hull City at The Hawthorns.

Match preview

Since a narrow 2-1 success at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on February 24, Bristol City have endured a five-game winless run (D1 L4) in all competitions, ending their FA Cup dreams and genuine ambitions of reaching the playoffs.

The Robins avoided five consecutive losses last Saturday afternoon, when an added-time equaliser from midfielder Adam Randell salvaged a point at the Riverside Stadium following an opener from January arrival Leo Castledine.

Collecting a single point from their last four second-tier contests, Bristol City have slumped down to 14th position in the Championship standings, nine points behind sixth-placed Southampton, meaning that another campaign of midtable mediocrity appears highly probable.

Gerhard Struber's troops will be searching for their first win at their West Country base since January 24 when Sheffield Wednesday were defeated, with the Robins winless across their last four home battles (D1 L3).

Shining on the second-tier stage for Bristol City this season - especially following the winter departure of Anis Mehmeti to Ipswich Town - Scott Twine leads his side's goalscoring and assist charts in the Championship with 10 and six respectively.

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Following a horrid 13-game winless spell in the Championship which spanned across both the Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay era in the Midlands, West Bromwich Albion managed a vital 3-0 triumph over Hull at The Hawthorns last weekend.

After such a long run without success, it was a case of under-performing attackers stepping up to the mark in the Black Country last time out, when Josh Maja, Aune Heggebo and Isaac Price all found the net against the 10-man Tigers.

Now on a mission to record back-to-back second-tier victories for the first time since August, James Morrison's men currently sit in 21st spot in the Championship table ahead of this weekend's trip to Bristol, one point above the dreaded drop zone.

A major Achilles heel during the 2025-26 campaign, the Baggies have fared woefully on the road and are in the midst of a 15-game away winless run in the Championship starting with a 3-0 loss at Millwall on October 4.

West Brom will be looking to avoid consecutive defeats to Bristol City this season following the reverse fixture at The Hawthorns on Boxing Day, when Mehmeti and Ross McCrorie found the net for the Robins in 2-1 victory.

Bristol City Championship form:

Bristol City form (all competitions):

West Bromwich Albion Championship form:

Team News

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Bristol City boss Struber has confirmed that midfielder Tomi Horvat is available to potentially start on Saturday afternoon.

The Robins remain without the services of centre-back Rob Dickie, who picked up a hamstring injury in February.

West Brom are missing the attacking talents of top assister Mikey Johnston, who is sidelined for the remainder of the term with a broken leg.

Heggebo is likely to start up top on the road this weekend, with Maja or Daryl Dike joining the Norwegian in the forward line.

Yet to truly get going in English football, Tammer Bany is out of action for the visitors because of a thigh problem.

Bristol City possible starting lineup:

Vitek; Sykes, Eile, Knight, Pring, McCrorie; Randell, Morsy, Twine; Jakobsen, Armstrong

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

O'Leary; Imray, Phillips, Campbell, Styles; Wallace, Molumby, Diakite, Price; Maja, Heggebo

We say: Bristol City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion

After a last-gasp equaliser at Middlesbrough, Bristol City will be hoping to end their winless streak this weekend in the West Country.

West Brom were excellent at home to Hull but could struggle once again on the road in the Championship.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.