- Home form: Bristol City have won 2, drawn 1 and lost 1 of their 4 home matches in all competitions so far, scoring 2.00 goals and conceding 1.25 per game.
- Away form: Walsall have won 1, drawn 1 and lost 2 of their 4 away matches in all competitions so far, scoring 1.50 goals and conceding 1.75 per game.
- Recent form: City's recent form has been a little mixed (W3, D3, L4), while Walsall have been in a bad patch (W2, D3, L5).
City are the clear favourite, but Walsall can make a game of it
Bristol City are 1.41 favourites to defeat League Two Walsall in the EFL Cup on Thursday and the Robins should get the job done at Ashton Gate, but the Saddlers can make this a game. There's a bit of a clash of styles here and that could make for an exciting matchup.
Tactics:
Michael Skubala has the Robins set up in a structured way with the ball, playing possession soccer with a controlled tempo before opening up in the final third. He has the talent to play a measured game in which City can hurt their opponents with real quality. Lee Grant has Walsall lined up to be more vertical and they are a lot more aggressive, pressing high and looking to get numbers forward quickly when they nick the ball back.
Key players:
But this should be a good test of City's quality and they should be able to edge it, although Walsall are capable of making a tough match of it.
- Lorent Tolaj has been a big scoring threat for Bristol City, netting 3 of their 7 goals in the last 5 games, while Mason Hancock has been Walsall's main danger man, scoring 2 of their 4 in the same period.
- Walsall will want him to play the main role up top.
Back Bristol City to win and over 1.5 goals
The hosts are the heavy favorites and the odds reflect this, but there are some angles in this game to take a chance on. Backing Bristol City to WIN & Over 1.5 goals looks a good play.
Walsall are in poor form, losing 4 of their last 5 and 3 straight, including defeats to Harrogate Town, Bromley and Aston Villa. Bristol City have been a mixed bag, but a 4-1 home win over Newcastle was the most eye-catching of their recent 10 results (W3, D3, L4).
A goal apiece for both sides appeals, but the over seems the safer bet here, so Over 2.5 at 1.57 and Both Teams to Score: Yes at 1.75 looks good, but there's enough of a chance that Bristol can get the win and score 2+ to push the odds into negative territory that the win & over combination is a better play at the current odds.
