Birmingham vs Preston prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-03-31 14:00.
[p]Birmingham City extended one of the Championship’s longest active winless streaks (D1, L6) with a 2-1 loss at QPR that means they are looking increasingly likely to drop down to England’s third tier. It was the second of their last five Championship losses to see them concede the match-winner in stoppage time, and with all five defeats coming by a one-goal margin, fans could be forgiven for wondering what might have been.[/p]
[p]With permanent manager Tony Mowbray currently away on medical leave, interim boss Gary Rowett blamed an ongoing inability to do the basics right for long enough, whilst also suggesting that the players could also be suffering from a slump in confidence due to their recent poor returns. Completing 11 consecutive Championship matches without leading at the end of both halves further underlines their struggles with maintaining their best from start to finish.[/p]
[p]Preston North End caught Birmingham in a similar form slump when defeating them 2-1 at home in September before they themselves began a tumble down the standings. The board backed Ryan Lowe throughout the season and he repaid the faith with a tremendous recovery in February that again has them within touching distance of their first Championship play-offs participation since 2008/09.[/p]
[p]Friday’s 3-0 demolition of lowly Rotherham was their fourth clean sheet from their last five league games and it continued a near-dominant record against the lowest ranked clubs of the Championship. In fact, five of their six Championship away wins came from six trips to those clubs beginning Round 40 in the bottom-third of the table (D1). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Birmingham will hope for a return to the scoresheet for Kōji Miyoshi, who gave them the lead in three separate competitive home games in 2024. Similarly, Preston won 11 of their last 12 league games in which Emil Riis Jakobsen scored.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Preston led at the interval in nine of their last 11 league wins, whilst the other two had 0-0 half-time scores.[/p]