Bristol vs Bath Predictions - Bath to secure an away win in a West Country derby clash with Bristol

Brad Newcomb

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Last updated: 52 minutes ago

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Brad Newcomb 52 minutes ago

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Bath have won 6 of their last 7 Premiership matches and 4 straight vs Bristol.
Bristol need a win to keep play-off hopes alive.
Bath are tipped to cover the -11.5 handicap in this high-stakes derby.

Bath beat Bristol earlier in their campaign (Getty Images)

The Bristol Bears must win to remain in the hunt to make the play-offs, but they have lacked consistency lately. Bath are chasing first place in the Premiership standings with only two fixtures remaining in the regular season.

Bath have won 6 of their last 7 matches (PREM).
Bath have won 4 of their last 6 away games (PREM).
Bath defeated Bristol by 25 points earlier this season.
Bristol have lost 4 of their last 6 fixtures (PREM).
Bristol have lost 4 consecutive matches against Bath.

Head to Head

Bristol have a slight edge with 15 wins to 13 against Bath in 28 meetings.

Bath beat Bristol 40-15 at home in a league match earlier this season.

Bristol Form

The Bristol Bears were comprehensively beaten by Northampton Saints recently, losing 94-33 to the league leaders away from home after trailing 61-14 at the break.

Bristol have been in solid form at home in the Premiership this season. They defeated the Leicester Tigers 42-24, Exeter 18-14, the Northampton Saints 46-12, Newcastle 36-27, and the Sale Sharks 19-17, lost 18-14 to Harlequins, and beat Gloucester 53-12 before losing 41-26 to Saracens.

The Bears are 6th in the Premiership Rugby table with 50 points from 16 games.

Bristol must win their remaining fixtures to have a chance of finishing in the top four places to reach the play-offs, as they are five points behind Exeter in the standings. However, they will have to play well to beat Bath, as their opponents have won four of their last six away matches.

Bath Form

Bath made light work of Newcastle recently, winning 69-12 at home after leading 31-0 at the break.

Johan van Graan's team have been in decent nick away from home in the Premiership this season. They beat Harlequins 47-31, lost 22-20 to Leicester Tigers, and beat Saracens 36-29, Newcastle 50-14, Gloucester 30-26, and Sale Sharks 31-26 before losing 41-38 to Northampton Saints and 35-12 to Exeter.

The Blue, Black, and Whites are 2nd in the Premiership Rugby standings with 63 points from 16 matches.

Bath have had regular success against Bristol in recent clashes, and they will aim to finish their campaign as the league leaders, as they are four points behind Northampton Saints at the top of the table, with two matches remaining in their season.

Team News

Bristol

Fly-half AJ MacGinty is expected to make a return to the starting line-up to face Bath.

George Kloska has returned to training following a calf injury, but will face a late fitness test.

Steven Luatua could return from a hamstring injury and may feature on Friday.

Bath

Tom Dunn has been suspended for two matches following his red card against Newcastle.

Verdict

Bristol v Bath

Bath have been in fine form in the Premiership lately and are tipped to cover the -11.5 handicap in their derby match against Bristol.

Bath -11.5

Handicap

@1.91 - 1 Unit

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