Bristol City away should be a banker and straightaway I think it will be; I’ll say that from the start.
That perhaps seems high-handed on my part, but sorry, Bristol fans, I expect to beat your team, it’s as simple as that. You loaned Nathan Baker, who wasn’t deemed good enough for us at the time, after all?
Except many Villa fans thought he was better than that.
I’ve read that Bristol want to buy/loan him, while many Villa fans don’t even rate him.
So what does that tell us?
Well, to me it demonstrates a gulf in expectations.
While I have the utmost regard for Bristol City, I think this is the sort of game we will have to win if we’re going to show any sign that we’re going to be promoted at the first attempt.
It’s difficult to explain what I mean, but if we really rate the Villa as a class apart from the rest of the Championship along with Newcastle, we have to win this game; it’s as simple as that.
Sadly, I don’t think we’re a class apart at all, although it might come in time.
Which is why I’m hoping that we’ll have enough about us to scrape a 1-0 win.
And that’s my prediction.
