Birmingham vs Stoke prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-12-25 17:15.
Two goals to the good and cruising in Saturday's clash with Plymouth, it seemed incomprehensible to think Birmingham would blow their 3-1 advantage, but they somehow did and left Devon with just a point to show for their efforts. In spite of their collapse, boss Wayne Rooney insisted he saw “good signs” from his side, but it doesnt change the fact Birmingham have won just one of their last six league games (D2, L3).
The arrival of Stoke in Birmingham could provide a timely boost though, as the Blues have lost just two of their last 18 league games against the team from the Potteries (W10, D6), while they haven’t lost a home league H2H since October 1988! Although history may be on their side in the H2H stakes, their record on Boxing Day leaves a lot to be desired, with Birmingham winning just one of their last seven such games (D3, L3) – funnily enough a 2-0 win against Stoke in 2018!
The Steven Schumacher era at Stoke got underway in uninspiring fashion, as his new side were held 0-0 at home by Millwall on Saturday. He acknowledged in the aftermath that this upcoming clash with Birmingham is likely to be a “tough game”, and given the Potters are winless in four Championship away games (D2, L2), it’s easy to see why he thinks that.
Their recent record on Boxing Day does at least offer a grain of hope (W3, D3, L1), with that 2018 H2H serving as the sole defeat. It’s a second visit visit to St. Andrew’s already this season for Schumacher, who took his then Plymouth side to the Midlands and lost 2-1, although with four of the last six H2Hs ending level (STO: L2), he will hope to avoid the fate of two defeats on the same ground this season.
Players to watch: Birmingham may hope their goals come from anyone other than Jay Stansfield, as none of his last five scoring appearances ended in victory (D3, L2). Stoke’s Ryan Mmaee will be out for an early impact given all three of his goals for the club arrived before the break.
Hot stat: Ten of Stoke’s 11 Championship away games this term have seen at least one first-half goal.