Birmingham vs Coventry prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-04-12 14:00.
[p]A 1-0 defeat to Cardiff City on Wednesday means that Birmingham City find themselves 23rd in the Championship table and have now lost six of their last seven matches (W1), failing to score in four of them. After that latest loss, interim boss Gary Rowett felt that his side “lacked character” – a worrying admission ahead of a pivotal period for the club. [/p]
[p]The current situation is a far cry from Birmingham’s early-season success when they occupied a place in the top six under John Eustace, but after the controversial decision to sack him, results have nosedived. As a consequence, Blues are staring at the prospect of a first campaign in the third tier of English football since 1994/95, and while the visit of neighbours Coventry City should liven things up at St Andrew’s, the hosts here haven’t won any of their last eight league H2Hs at any venue (D5, L3). [/p]
[p]Coventry, meanwhile, suffered a setback on Tuesday after a 2-1 defeat at Southampton, which came hot on the heels of a famous victory over Leeds United by the same scoreline. Mark Robins’ men will still believe that they can achieve a play-off finish this term, as although they sit five points behind sixth-placed Norwich City, they have a precious game in hand on the Canaries. [/p]
[p]The Sky Blues are certainly entertaining away from home, scoring 34 Championship goals on the road this season, a figure only eclipsed by Norwich, Middlesbrough and Leicester City heading into this weekend. And encouragingly for Robins and his players, just three teams in the division have earned more points from losing positions in 2023/24 than their 18. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Birmingham’s leading marksman this campaign, Jay Stansfield, has been a shining light in a tough period overall for the club, but only four of his 12 goalscoring appearances in that time have ended with his side winning on the day (D3, L5). For Coventry, Haji Wright is sure to have some sort of impact. He missed a penalty at Southampton in midweek, but found the net in his four previous away matches (G5). [/p]
[p]Hot stat: The opener in Coventry’s last eight league games has arrived inside 25 minutes. [/p]