Birminghamvs.Wycombe

The hosts are nine points clear of this weekend's opponents in the table heading into this clash, despite having played a game less than Wycombe.

Match preview

Birmingham spent big last summer to try and ensure that they would make an instant return to the Championship, following their relegation last season.

So far, their gamble appears to have paid off, as the club are sitting comfortably at the top of the League One table and are also in the final of the EFL Trophy.

One of the summer recruits was Jay Stansfield, who has repaid his hefty transfer fee by netting 16 goals in 23 league fixtures this season.

In contrast to Stansfield, who arrived at the club for millions, Wycombe signed their 16-goal striker Richard Kone from Athletic Newham of the Essex Senior League.

Kone has repaid the club's faith in him by bagging the same amount of goals as Stansfield this year, and the visitors lead the league in scoring with 58 goals in 32 matches.

The Blues are right behind them in that regard, with 53 goals in 31 games, highlighting how important it is to have a top striker at this level.

Birmingham also have the strongest defence in the division, having only conceded 19 goals so far in the league this season, an outstanding record for this stage of the campaign.

Indeed, Wrexham are the second-best defence in the division, and they have conceded nine more goals than the Blues, despite playing a game more than the league leaders.

The hosts have not lost in the league since November 23, when they suffered a shock 3-2 defeat away to Shrewsbury Town, a run that has seen them go 17 matches without defeat in the division.

The Blues currently have the best home record in League One, and they have not lost any of their 16 league fixtures on their own turf this season.

This weekend should be the toughest test of that record, however, with Wycombe currently owning the best away record in League One, having claimed 32 points from their 16 matches played on the road.

Birmingham have set an astonishing points-per-game ratio of 2.35, and if they continue at this pace, they are on course for 108 points come the end of the season, which would be a new record total in the division.

They extended their lead at the top of the table on Tuesday night, as they beat promotion hopefuls Leyton Orient 2-0 at St Andrew's, with the goals coming from Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Ethan Laird.

Meanwhile, the visitors come into this game with a three-point gap between themselves and their nearest chasers Wrexham in the race for the final automatic promotion spot.

Wycombe looked on course to be going toe-to-toe with Birmingham at the top of the table for most of the season, but the departure of Matt Bloomfield to Luton Town has somewhat stalled their progress.

Since new head coach Mike Dodds came in as Bloomfield's permanent successor, the Chairboys have lost ground in the title race, with two draws and a win in his three league fixtures in charge.

Their most recent outing was a goalless draw at home to Wigan Athletic last weekend, a game that would have been frustrating for a team so used to scoring this season.

Interestingly, there have been fewer than three goals in each of Wycombe's last five matches, but the visitors will know that this will be their toughest challenge of the season, away to the side that they are still hoping to pip to the title in May.

Wycombe have drawn their last three away matches in all competitions, although one of those matches did see them eventually fall out the FA Cup on penalties at the hands of Preston North End.

The visitors know that realistically, to have any chance of winning the League One title this year, they will need to come away with all three points from this weekend's clash.

The last meeting between the two sides ended in defeat for Wycombe, as Birmingham secured their first win of the campaign with a 3-2 victory over the Chairboys back in August.

Birmingham City League One form:

W

W

W

W

D

W

Birmingham City form (all competitions):

L

W

W

W

D

W

Wycombe Wanderers League One form:

D

W

D

D

W

D

Wycombe Wanderers form (all competitions):

W

D

L

D

W

D

Team News

The hosts have a number of injury worries ahead of this clash, as both Scott Wright and Lyndon Dykes came off injured in the draw with Reading last weekend, with both expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Keshi Anderson is also out due to a hamstring injury, while the Blues will be without their leading goalscorer Stansfield, who is out with a leg injury.

Elsewhere, Marc Leonard and Lee Buchanan are both expected to miss this clash for the hosts due to knee injuries.

Meanwhile, the visitors have been handed a major boost as their star striker Kone returned to action from the bench last weekend, and he could be in contention to start this weekend.

Kieran Sadlier and Jack Grimmer are continuing their recoveries from lengthy absences and are not expected to feature in this match.

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:

Allsop; Laird, Klarer, Davies, Cochrane; Iwata, Paik, Dowell, Willumsson, Gardner-Hickman; May

Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Norris; Pattenden, Low, Taylor, Harvie; Scowen, Simons, McCleary, Humphreys, Lubala; Kone

We say: Birmingham City 2-0 Wycombe Wanderers

The hosts are the best team in the division, and we expect them to prove that once again at the weekend.

Written by

Tom Humphrey

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