Bristol City - Southampton Betting Preview: Premier League new boys to prepare with a win

Aug 7, 2012 1:05:00 PM

Ashton Game plays host to a friendly between the Robins and the Saints on Tuesday evening. Adam Bate expects the Premier League side to have the edge and secure a victory

Southampton stepped up preparations for their forthcoming Premier League campaign with a convincing win over Wolves in front of a sparse St Mary’s crowd on Saturday.

Now they travel to face another Championship side as they take on Bristol City on Tuesday and the Premier League new boys will be expecting to pick up another victory.

There’s an inevitable excitement surrounding the Saints at the moment as all the players in the squad are eager to impress in order to be a part of the squad for the game against champions Manchester City on the opening weekend.

It would be of little surprise if that jostling for places results in another victory against the Robins.

You can back Nigel Adkins’ men to pick up the win here at 8/11 (1.73) with William Hill.

While Bristol City were in the same division as Southampton last season they could have found themselves two leagues below this term, having flirted with relegation for much of the campaign.

After an initial improvement following the exit of Keith Millen, new boss Derek McInnes failed to dramatically improve the Robins’ fortunes until a late surge lifted them to safety.

That has given supporters cause for optimism this summer and there have been encouraging signs in pre-season too.

Back-to-back victories over Kilmarnock, Dunfermline and – in Louis Carey’s testimonial – against neighbours Bristol Rovers, suggest the Scottish boss is taking the team in the right direction.

And although key players such as Ghana international Albert Adomah and Brett Pitman have been heavily linked with moves away from Ashton Gate in recent weeks it does not seem to be affecting their preparations.

Bristol City are 11/4 (3.75) with William Hill to make it four wins on the bounce. The draw is available at 13/5 (3.6).

While the Championship strugglers have picked up some commendable victories in pre-season under McInnes, little in those games will have prepared them for the greater quality they face on Tuesday.

As a result, expect Southampton to get a further boost ahead of their game with Manchester City by winning here.

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Southampton to win at 8/11 (1.73) with William Hill

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Adam Bate is a professional freelance journalist who specialises in football and betting. He is editor of GhostGoal which can be found here - you can also follow Adam on

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