Coventry vs Birmingham prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-04-28 14:00.
Coventry moved into the Championship play-off places with a 2-1 win over a struggling Reading last Saturday, leaving their chances of securing a top-six finish in their own hands. With the final two play-off spots being contested by as many as eight teams, manager Mark Robins called this game a âmust-winâ as he reckons his side are âin with a shoutâ in the race for the final two play-off spots.
With this their final home league game of the regular season, the Sky Blues have a chance to post consecutive wins at Coventry Building Society Arena, something theyâve achieved only twice this campaign. A high number of stalemates (seven) have pegged them back at home this league season, and the fears of a repeat result will be at the forefront of their minds as the hosts have drawn four of their last five H2Hs (W1).
That includes a goalless result in the reverse fixture, which was also the case in the last three H2Hs with Birmingham as the designated âawayâ side, though two of those were actually played at the Bluesâ home ground of St. Andrews! Down in 17th place in the table, Birmingham make the relatively short trip on the back of a 1-0 defeat against Blackpool last Saturday which extended their dismal run to just one win across five league matches (D2, L2) this season, which could still see their highest league finish since 2015/16.
Boss John Eustace noted that their performance was âflatâ against Blackpool, but even so they have surprisingly fared relatively better on the road of late (W2, D1, L1). Goals still remain a concern for the visitors, who have scored exactly once in seven of their last eight away league games, and with top-scorer Scott Hogan out for the rest of the season, Birmingham appear hard-pressed for inspiration in the final third.
Players to watch: Matt Godden opened Coventryâs scoring against Reading, but his two previous Championship H2Hs have ended goalless. Looking to change that theme could be on-loan attacker Hannibal Mejbri, who has contributed to five of Birminghamâs league wins this season with assists.
Hot stat: Ahead of this round, only matches involving QPR have seen more match openers within the first 15 minutes than Birminghamâs 18.