Successive defeats have tempered much of the optimism about Bristol City mounting a late Championship play-off charge as not only have they pegged the Robins back in advancing into the top half but provided a reminder of some of the squad’s shortcomings.
After an impressive nine-match unbeaten league run which lifted Nigel Pearson’s side into such lofty conversations, injuries unfortunately damaged their progress with City losing too many players in too many key positions in too short a space of time.
City now lie 14th in the table, 12 points below the top six and 12 above the bottom three. Locked in mid-table but with an element of intrigue as to where they'll finish and what will constitute success.
As for what the next eight games hold, well, City will firstly like to exceed the 55 points they finished with in 2021/22 and the 17th-placed finish, both of which seem wholly within their reach.
The sanctuary of mid-table may not be the most glamorous or exciting place to be but it does ensure their Championship status next season. And while a top six finish is verging on the impossible - bookmakers aren't offering a price and FiveThirtyEight give them less than a one per cent chance of doing so - certainly ending up in the top half, or even better top 10, would provide a sense of forward momentum.
But how do you think the Robins will fare once they resume Championship action on April 1, with eight matches between their hosting of Reading at the final game of the campaign at QPR on May 8? Use our predictor below to map out the rest of the season across the division and see where Pearson’s side will finish…
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