Match Preview
Bristol City vrs Fulham
Championship Match Day 37 at Ashton Gate
Saturday 7th March 2020 KO: 12:30
Referee:
David Coote (Nottinghamshire)
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Championship promotion rivals Bristol City and Fulham face off at Ashton Gate in Saturday's early kickoff.
The Cottagers are providing the biggest threat to West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United for automatic promotion, but the gap on the two sides above them remains at six and five points respectively.
Scott Parker's men have refound their form again over the past couple of weeks with wins over Swansea City - thanks to a 94th-minute goal - and Preston at Craven Cottage.
They have been held 1-1 in back-to-back away games, though, and have won on their travels just twice in nine attempts in all competitions.
However, Fulham are unbeaten in their last four away league games against Bristol City since a 5-1 defeat in April 1990, winning three of those matches.
Another win at Ashton Gate this weekend will see them all but seal a place in the end-of-season playoffs, though Parker will no doubt still have his sights set on breaking into the top two.
City are winless in four league matches, while the visitors enter the game on the back of successive wins to open up a nine-point gap on their opponents.
One point collected from the last 12 on offer has seen City slide out of the playoffs and the same old questions asked of boss Lee Johnson.
The Robins have been unable to see through promotion challenges in recent times, though they did at least end a three-game losing run in last week's 1-1 draw at Millwall.
Pedro Pereira fired Johnson's men in front at The Den, only for Matt Smith to convert as City missed out on the chance to move back into the top six.
As it is, with just 10 games of the season to go, they find themselves two points behind Preston North End in sixth.
Of those 10 remaining matches, three games are against sides above them, including Saturday's visit of high-flying Fulham.
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Bristol City have won five of their past seven matches against Fulham in all competitions (W5 D1 L1).
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Fulham are unbeaten in their past four away league games against Bristol City (W3 D1) since a 5-1 defeat in April 1990.
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Fulham have won just two of their past nine away games in all competitions (D4 L3), drawing their past two 1-1 away at Millwall and Derby.
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Among players to appear in at least 500 minutes in the Championship this season, Fulham's Aboubakar Kamara has the best minutes per goal/assist ratio in the division, scoring four goals and assisting four in just 808 minutes (one goal/assist every 101 minutes).
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The last time Fulham won away in the league was 3 games ago against Blackburn.
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Fulham last failed to score away in the league 4 games ago.
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Of the 6 away games Fulham has lost, they conceded first 6 times.
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Bristol City have taken just four points from their past six Championship games (W1 D1 L4) and are winless in their past four league games (D1 L3).
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Since the start of December, only Hull City (six) have lost more home Championship games than Bristol City (five).
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Bristol City last kept a clean sheet at home 4 games ago.
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Of the 8 league games Bristol C has won at home, they scored first 7 times.