Birmingham vs Sunderland prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-11-10 20:00.
The Championship will take a few moments to remember those lost during World Wars on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, but as soon as that whistle sounds, it’s game on for Birmingham and Sunderland. After a topsy-turvy 2-2 draw in which both teams led last time out against Swansea, Birmingham boss John Eustace heaped praise on his side for “going to the end” to make it just one defeat from the last eight rounds (W4, D3).
Currently enjoying their longest run of unbeaten home league games in one single season since 2018/19 (W2, D4), the Blues may be relatively confident of extending that run having also gone unbeaten in every home league H2H since the turn of the century (W5, D2). But they’ll likely need to show strength at the back to do so, as impressive defensive showings have been key to Birmingham’s home form this season considering they’ve not won when conceding since the first home game of the campaign (D3, L2).
There may have been some truth in manager Tony Mowbray’s scathing claims that Sunderland’s 2-0 win last week was “probably the worst performance since I've been here”, as they then followed that up with a lacklustre 1-0 defeat against Cardiff in the previous round. Now with just one win across the last five games, the Black Cats sit just four points above the drop zone which has sparked calls for consistency from Mowbray.
Perhaps Mowbray could be the man to spark his side into better form, especially as he’s won his last four managerial H2Hs against Birmingham. What could buoy the visitors further is the fact they’ve also picked up 58% of their points on the road (W4, D2, L4) and are one of just seven Championship sides that perform better on their travels.
Players to watch: Scott Hogan is one goal away from hitting double figures in the Championship for the third time in his career after netting in back-to-back games for Birmingham. Trying to outdo him will be Sunderland’s Alex Pritchard. He’s hit the team opener with five of his last six goals, and he’s also made two goal contributions at St Andrew’s in the past (G1, A1).
Hot stat: Birmingham have conceded more league goals after the hour mark (ten) than they have done in the opening hour of play (eight) this season.