Two mid table teams go head to head on Saturday in the Championship, but there is a lot more at stake than that. Bristol City are the hosts, in 12th position, taking on Cardiff, in 14th position, but local rivalry means this game has a lot more meaning than you would expect from a game between teams in these positions.
Bristol City Form GuideI've been really disappointed with Bristol City recently, yes they've dropped out of the playoff race, and you can argue they already have nothing left to play for, but they've been miles off where I expect in recent weeks. They've lost their last two games, and both have been disappointing losses to teams near the bottom of the table.
Last weekend, it was a 2-1 loss away at Sheffield Wednesday, a team in the relegation zone, and a game that Bristol City struggled to get a grip on for the full 90 minutes. Before that, a 1-0 loss at home to QPR, a team, just outside of the relegation zone, though they were in it when these two met.
Cardiff City Form GuideEverything I've said about Bristol City, you can say about Cardiff. But The Bluebirds have taking an upward turn recently after their bad run, with a draw and a win in their last two games. They, like their opponents here, have little to play for moving forward, but will still know the importance of local bragging rights in a game like this.
Cardiff won 2-1 at home to Stoke on Saturday, sending them into the relegation zone, before that, they drew 0-0 at home to Blackburn Rovers, another side struggling. They've played no one of note, but have four points, Bristol City have done the same and got no points.
Match PredictionI'm not sure either team is good enough to win this game. On top of that, I think both will come here with one eye on making sure they don't lose it, given the importance locally. With that in mind, I will split the difference and take the draw as my bet.