Our prediction for this Championship match:
Bristol City welcome Preston North End to Ashton Gate on Saturday for a highly-anticipated season opener. Both teams aim to start their campaign on a winning note and set the tone for their Championship aspirations, but the Robins are seen as slim favourites to win this match. Bristol City will be eager to impress their loyal fans with an attacking display, seeking to exploit Preston's defence and there is every chance new signings Jason Knight and Ross McCrorie will make their debuts against the Lilywhites.
On the other hand, Preston, known for their tenacious style, will look to stifle the hosts' attacking threats and hit them on the counter. A man to watch in the away team will be new recruit Mads Frokjaer-Jensen. With pre-season preparations behind them, players from both sides are hungry to prove their worth, but home win should be considered as over the years Bristol City have turned their Ashton Gate into a real fortress.
Highlighted Player (Nahki Wells):
Born on June 1, 1990 in Hamilton, Bermuda, Nahki Wells is a 170-cm-tall attacker who plays for the Bermuda national team. Wells is a product of Dandy Town Hornets youth academy and he continued playing for the Bermudan side at senior level.
The experienced striker played for the likes of Bermuda Hogges, Eccleshill United and Carlisle United before joining Bradford City in 2011. After spending three seasons at Valley Parade, Nahki Wells signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Huddersfield Town in the winter of 2014. In 2017 he moved to Burnley, but he played for Queens Park Rangers as a loan footballer in the 2018/2019 season.
Speaking of his international career, Wells made his debut for the Bermuda national team in 2007. He scored his first ever goal for Bermuda in the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago. The Burnley man will represent the Gombey Warriors at the 2019 Gold Cup.
Highlighted Team (Preston):
Preston North End or Preston were founded in 1880. The Lilywhites or the Invincibles play their home games at Deepdale, the stadium that was built in 1875 and opened three years later.
In 1889 Preston won their first FA Cup trophy and they did well to beat Huddersfield Town in the final of the 1938 FA Cup final. However, the club’s biggest success came in 1889 and 1890 when they won back-to-back domestic trophies (First Division).
Preston have yet to win the League Cup title, but they were runners-up in 1888, 1922, 1937, 1954, 1964. Preston’s main rivals are Blackpool and the two teams square off against each other in the West Lancashire derby. In their first ever meeting in the West Lancashire derby (1901) Preston recorded a 4-1 win over Blackpool.
Burnley and Blackburn Rovers are considered Preston’s big rivals as well. The colour of Preston’s shirts is white and they wear dark blue shorts.