Huddersfield vs Birmingham prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-02-17 15:00.
If he didn’t already know the task at hand, Neil Warnock was given a rude awakening as he watched his new Huddersfield side from the stands on Wednesday. The Terriers, with interim boss NarcĂs Pèlach still in charge following the sacking of Mark Fotheringham, were hammered 3-0 by Stoke, a result that means they are now four points from safety in the Championship relegation zone.
Warnock will take the reins for the first time for the visit of Birmingham City, where he will be looking to end a winless run of eight fixtures (D3, L5); Huddersfield’s longest spell without a victory in two years. If he is to turn that form around, perhaps the Kirklees Stadium will be the venue to do so, given Huddersfield have picked up 18 of their 28 points on home soil (W5, D3, L7).
City also arrive in Yorkshire on the back of a defeat, although manager John Eustace is urging his side not to get “too low” after losing 2-0 to Cardiff on Valentine’s Day. After all, the Blues have managed to put some breathing space between themselves and the bottom three this month, thanks to recent wins over Swansea and West Brom.
Those victories ended a run of five successive league defeats for Birmingham, who are looking to avoid a return to the third tier for the first time in over 30 years. Their defence is proving an Achilles’ heel in pulling entirely clear from danger though, as they have conceded ten goals in their last three away league games (W1, D1, L1) while failing to keep a clean sheet in a dozen outings at all venues across all competitions.
Key battle: Huddersfield defender Tom Lees has played more games against Birmingham than any other team, but only won five of them (D6, L9). He will be trying to thwart Blues striker Scott Hogan who has won 11 of his last 19 goalscoring appearances (D5, L3), including against Huddersfield in August.
Hot streak: The last six H2H meetings at the Kirklees Stadium have ended all square, including five 1-1 draws.