Preview: Birmingham City vs. Burnley - prediction, team news, lineups

Birmingham are in a good vein of form themselves after consecutive wins, but an assignment against Vincent Kompany's men may prove to be their biggest test so far this season.

Match preview

John Eustace's men have transformed into a different team since the introduction of Tahith Chong and Krystian Bielik away at Preston North End at the beginning of September.

Blues only managed to collect five points in their opening seven games of the Championship season, but have picked up 14 from their most recent seven to climb into the top half of the second-tier table.

Key to such a turnaround in fortunes has been the creativity and steel of Chong and Bielek respectively, but also a well-regimented defence that have only conceded 12 goals in 14 matches.

Hull City were a rejuvenated Birmingham's latest victims, with a Troy Deeney penalty and a Juninho Bacuna thunderbolt downing the Tigers at the MKM Stadium.

Hosting the league leaders on Wednesday night will be a different proposition to a deflated Hull side, but if the Second City club manage to record a victory the home faithful may start to dream of more than just mid-table safety this campaign.

Vincent Kompany has changed the footballing culture at Burnley as they look to bounce straight back to the Premier League after relegation last year.

So far the ex-Manchester City defender has carried out that reinvention successfully, with the Clarets top of the possession charts but most importantly leading the Championship with 25 points from 14 games.

The Lancashire-based club have only tasted defeat once this campaign and boast the joint-best attacking record in the division having scored 24 times, with only Sheffield United being able to match that total.

Thirty-three-year-old forward Jay Rodriguez is enjoying life back in the Championship with seven goals in 12 appearances this season, with all signs pointing towards the Englishman bettering the 22 goals he got for West Bromwich Albion at this level in the 2018-19 campaign.

On-loan Chelsea full-back Ian Maatsen has been Burnley's chief creator with four assists to his name, with the Dutchman successfully making the step up to play a part in an automatic promotion push after a spell with Coventry City last season.

Birmingham City Championship form:

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D

D

L

W

W

Burnley Championship form:

D

W

D

D

W

W

Team News

Birmingham's veteran defender George Friend is close to returning to the first-team fold after a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined for the entirety of the campaign so far.

The ex-Middlesbrough man started team training last week and is set to feature for Blues' Under-21s as he builds his fitness ahead of potential Championship action.

Dion Sanderson served a one-match suspension at Hull after picking up five yellow cards and is likely to regain his spot alongside Harlee Dean and Auston Trusty in the back three.

Gary Gardner, Marc Roberts, Przemyslaw Placheta and Nico Gordon all remain sidelined, although the latter has resumed first-team training after the best part of six months out with an unspecified injury.

Attacking midfielders Scott Twine and Darko Churlinov are still out for Burnley on Wednesday night meaning Josh Brownhill will continue in the role behind Rodriguez.

Kompany is likely to start the same XI that swept Swansea City away at Turf Moor last time out, with youngsters Nathan Tella and Anass Zaroury posing major threat on the flanks.

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:

Ruddy; Sanderson, Dean, Trusty; Colin, Bielik, Hannibal, Bacuna, Longelo; Chong, Hogan

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Muric; Vitinho, Harwood-Bellis, Beyer, Maatsen; Cullen, Cork, Tella, Brownhill, Zaroury; Rodriguez

We say: Birmingham City 1-1 Burnley

Burnley are in sensational form as they travel to St Andrew's but Birmingham will not be broken down as easily as Swansea were on Saturday afternoon.

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