Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s Championship clash between Wrexham and Bristol City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Unbeaten in their last six Championship encounters, Wrexham welcome Bristol City to the Racecourse Ground on Wednesday night.
Phil Parkinson‘s Red Dragons are yet to concede in November and played out a 0-0 draw away to Ipswich Town last time out, while Gerhard Struber‘s Robins returned to winning ways with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Swansea City.
Match preview
Finishing second in League One last season, Wrexham entered their maiden Championship campaign with some optimism of pushing for a fourth successive promotion.
However, life in the second tier got off to a rocky start with the Welsh side winning just one of their opening five games, though the Red Dragons have seemingly turned a corner in recent times and are unbeaten in their last six Championship matches.
Heading into their 17th matchweek, Wrexham currently sit 14th with 22 points, after winning five, drawing seven and losing four, with three points on Wednesday night putting them closer to the league’s top six.
The impressive run has seen Parkinson’s men beat league leaders Coventry, courtesy of a Kieffer Moore hat-trick, and concede just three goals in their last six.
Drawing 0-0 away to Ipswich Town was a third consecutive clean sheet for the north-east Welsh side with their formidable defensive form making them one of the hardest teams to break down at the moment.
One area for concern however, is their recent lack of cutting edge in attack as they have not scored from open play in their last three Championship matches and their inability to turn draws into wins means they have a league-high of seven stalemates.
As for Struber’s Bristol City, their impressive start to the season was halted somewhat after enduring a run of three games without a win, however they got back to winning ways on Saturday after comprehensively beating Swansea City 3-0.
Goals from Rob Dickie, Emil Riis and Yu Hirakawa ensured their seventh league win of the season, putting the Robins fourth with 26 points to their name.
Their attacking output has been one of their notable standout qualities for the south-west side with just Coventry, Hull and Ipswich scoring more than their 25 league goals.
Heading to the north of Wales on Wednesday night they will be confident to add to their impressive away form, with the Robins taking 12 points from their seven games on the road, the fifth best record in the Championship.
Despite having one of the longest injury lists in the country, Struber has helped Bristol City make a solid start on a serious promotion bid, as they attempt to go one step further than last season’s playoff semi-final exit.
Meeting for the first time in over 20 years, the pair last met in the third tier when the Robins beat the Red Dragons 1-0 and you have to go back to 1997 for the last time Wrexham managed a win against their upcoming opponents.
Wrexham Championship form:
W D W D W D
Wrexham form (all competitions):
D L W D W D
Bristol City Championship form:
W W L L D W
Team News
Appearing to come away from their last match with no further injuries, Parkinson has the luxury of naming the same XI if he chooses to.
However, they will be without Manchester City loanee Issa Kabore whose hamstring injury is expected to keep him out for six weeks.
They will also be without the services of Danny Ward, Jay Rodriguez, Lewis Brunt, Aaron James, Andy Cannon and Elliot Lee.
As for Bristol City, Struber once again has to contend with one of the most injury-riddled squads in the country.
Luke McNally, Rob Atkinson, Cameron Pring, Joe Williams, Max Bird, Josh Stokes and Harry Cornick will all be unavailable to the Austrian boss.
Their last game did see welcome returns for Neto Borges, Mark Sykes and Jason Knight however, with the last two potentially coming into the starting XI for the first time since their injuries.
Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Okonkwo; Cleworth, Scar, Hyam; Longman, Dobson, Sheaf, James, McClean; Windass, Broadhead
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Vitek; Tanner, Dickie, Vyner; McCrorie, Twine, Randell, Knight, Neto Borges; Riis, Mehmeti
We say: Wrexham 1-2 Bristol City
Wrexham come into this game unbeaten in their last six Championship games but have struggled to find the back of the net and turn draws into wins. They are also taking on one of the best away sides in the country so we expect the Welsh sides good run to come to an end with Bristol City taking all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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