Birmingham City host Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.
Birmingham City come into this weekend’s clash with Blackburn Rovers looking to put some more distance between themselves and the drop.
Two wins in the last three games for John Eustace’s side means they’ve risen to 17th place, a comfortable nine points away from the relegation zone. The Blues defeated QPR before the international break, with Tahith Chong’s early strike enough to secure a 1-0 victory on the road.
As for Blackburn Rovers, they tightened their grip on a play-off spot with a marvellous run prior to the break. Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side have won five of their last six Championship games to rise to 5th, building a four-point gap to 7th placed Norwich City with a game in hand.
Much of Rovers’ joy has come at home though, winning just one of their last seven away games.
Here, a handful of our writers make their predictions for the game…
James Ray
“Birmingham City should be fine in the battle to stay up now, and after such a turbulent season on and off the pitch for the Blues, Eustace and co should be pretty proud of their efforts. They’ve pulled off some good home wins along the way too, so there should be hope of an impressive victory here.
“Rovers are riding a great wave of momentum though. Things are looking good in their play-off fight but they have shown a tendency to slip away before, so this is a real banana skin for the visitors.
“On paper, you’d expect Blackburn to come away with all three points. But, after some important wins for the hosts and given Rovers’ mediocre away record, I’m going for a surprise home win.”
Score prediction: Birmingham City 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
Luke Phelps
“Back to league duties for Rovers after their FA Cup exit last time out. And it should be a welcome return for the club as they vie for a spot in the top-six, which they’re currently on track to do.
“They’ve definitely been shaky at times this season but they were looking strong earlier this month. Birmingham City though have looked decent lately and I think it’ll make for a good game here.
“Both sides have a few injuries to contend with right now. I can’t see this one being a very high-scoring affair, and I think it’s too close to call.”
Score prediction: Birmingham City 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
