Stoke vs Birmingham prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-11-04 15:00.
Stoke City claimed a 1-0 Championship win over fellow bottom-half side Wigan Athletic in a game of few chances on Wednesday, starting November by ending their three-match losing streak to lift themselves away from the relegation zone. Its significance was not lost on manager Alex Neil, who said afterwards, âTonight was a very important three points, psychologically as much as anything else.â
A repeat would be much-welcomed as the Potters have suffered two straight home league defeats, on both occasions losing âto nilâ with the scoring confined to one half. Despite those setbacks, theyâve good reason to feel they can build on that win at Wigan as theyâre unbeaten across the last three home H2Hs against Birmingham City (W1, D2).
However, mid-table Birmingham will feel theyâve got a decent chance given they havenât lost a H2H anywhere since July 2020 (W1, D3) and prior to the round possessed the leagueâs joint-best defensive record this term. Theyâve conceded just 15 times following Wednesday nightâs 0-0 draw with Millwall, in which manager John Eustace lauded his players for having âdefended our box with our livesâ.
With just one clean sheet across their last five league away fixtures (W2, D1, L2), Birmingham might have to put their bodies on the line again if theyâre to improve their Championship away record this term (W3, D2, L4). The Blues could also use a good start as all four of those defeats came after they trailed either 1-0 or 2-0 at the break.
Players to watch: Stokeâs Dwight Gayle has happy memories of playing against Birmingham, netting four times in five personal H2Hs, both goalscoring outings coming in games producing over 3.5 goals. Birminghamâs ex-Stoke forward Scott Hogan has netted his last three league goals after the 70th minute but is yet to win a personal H2H against his former club (D3, L1).
Hot stat: Stoke are unbeaten in the league after scoring first this term (W6, D1).