Ipswich vs Birmingham prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-02-23 15:00.
After a spell of just one Championship win in nine (D6, L2) threatened to derail their bid for back-to-back promotions, Ipswich have since recorded three straight victories, capitalising on Southampton’s dip in form in that time to leapfrog them into third. The Tractor Boys’ latest triumph on Tuesday reinforced their reputation as entertainers, as a 95th-minute winner saw off bottom-of-the-table Rotherham in a seven-goal thriller.
Perhaps unsurprisingly then, Ipswich’s matches have produced more total goals (109) than any other side in the Championship. This season’s reverse fixture with Birmingham accounts for four of those (2-2), but Kieran McKenna’s men are unlikely to be satisfied with a share of the spoils since they’re unbeaten in 14 consecutive league matches at Portman Road (W10, D4).
It’s been a tumultuous week at Birmingham as manager Tony Mowbray was forced to step away from the touchline for “approximately six to eight weeks” as he undergoes treatment for an undisclosed illness. In his absence, his assistant Mark Venus will be issuing the instructions in the dugout as he aims to continue Mowbray’s good work (W4, D1, L3) since he took over last month, which includes consecutive home wins prior to this trip to Suffolk.
As Venus looks to create some space between the Blues and the drop zone, an area of immediate concern will be their away form given that only the bottom two have lost more on the road than Birmingham this campaign. And while facing high-flying opposition may not inspire confidence of improving on that record, Birmingham have lost just one of the last seven H2H meetings (W2, D4, L1), remaining unbeaten in each of the last four (W1, D3).
Players to watch: Omari Hutchinson is a man in form, directly contributing to goals in four consecutive appearances (G2, A2), including two decisive strikes in second-half stoppage time. Koji Miyoshi got Birmingham’s winner in the 2-1 comeback win over Sunderland last Saturday, and four of his five goals since moving to the club have helped his side to victory on the day.
Hot stat: Birmingham have conceded ten goals from the 76th minute onwards in the Championship this term – the joint-most in the division pre-round.