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

Blues earned a point at Wigan Athletic last time out to halt a worrying run of defeats, whereas Rotherham were the latest side to take advantage of a free-falling Queens Park Rangers.

Match preview

After four-straight Championship losses to end February on a concerning note, Birmingham welcomed in spring by travelling to the DW Stadium to face the relegation-threatened Latics - a game Blues could not afford to lose.

In that respect, John Eustace's side completed their mission up in Lancashire last Saturday, with a stunning free-kick from Juninho Bacuna ensuring the bottom three did not gain any ground on the Second City club, although a second-half goal from Ashley Fletcher forced a share of the spoils.

The West Midlands outfit currently sit 19th in the league standings with a seven-point advantage over 22nd-placed Blackpool, meaning a couple more wins between now and May would secure their second-tier status for another year.

Things were certainly heating up at Blues' training ground last week as a fire broke out in the early hours of Friday morning, but the same cannot be said for striker Scott Hogan, who has gone cold turkey in front of goal lately - the 30-year-old has only scored once since November and missed a penalty last time out.

As was the assignment at Wigan, Blues know they cannot allow a relegation rival to earn three points at St Andrew's in this encounter, and as uninspiring as it sounds, a point here could go a long way in keeping Eustace's men in the division.

Rotherham have eased fears of an immediate return to League One after promotion last term by earning seven points from their last three Championship matches, including home victories against Sunderland and QPR.

A brace from Jordan Hugill combined with a Hakeem Odoffin strike gave the Millers all three points against Gareth Ainsworth's R's, a result which meant the hosts that day leapfrogged the West Londoners in the table.

The departure of former boss Paul Warne to Derby County earlier in the campaign had the potential to seriously derail Rotherham's season, and although the Millers' form did drop noticeably at the end of 2022, they have done enough so far to preserve their place in the Championship.

The Yorkshire club are 18th in the standings ahead of this weekend's trip to Birmingham, with the club's highest league finish for two decades (15th) a realistic aim in the remaining 11 games of this term.

Rotherham supporters will be smart to manage expectations in this game, however, considering their away record this season - Matthew Taylor's men have won only two of their 18 second-tier away matches this campaign, scoring just 11 goals in the process.

Birmingham City Championship form:

W

L

L

L

L

D

Rotherham United Championship form:

D

L

L

W

D

W

Team News

Birmingham will be without Gary Gardner on Saturday after the midfielder suffered a groin injury last week, with the player expected to be sidelined until after the international break.

The goalscoring Bacuna picked up his tenth booking of the season at the John Smith's Stadium last time out and will now serve a two-game suspension, further limiting Eustace's options in the centre of the pitch with Krystian Bielik also out of action.

Dion Sanderson and Troy Deeney are longer-term absentees for Blues with back and hamstring issues respectively - 23-year-old Sanderson could miss the remainder of the season with his injury.

Rotherham's new signing Tyler Blackett could make his Millers debut at the home of his former employers, with the centre-back playing eight times for Birmingham during a loan spell in the 2013-14 season.

Bringing in a defensive reinforcement such as Blackett was certainly a smart move considering the injuries to Grant Hall and Sean Morrison, with the latter out for the rest of the season due to a thigh knock.

Lee Peltier is also out of action for Rotherham, meaning ex-Blues man Wes Harding will start on the right of a back four at St Andrew's on Saturday afternoon.

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:

Ruddy; Long, Dean, Trusty; Colin, Chong, Chang, Longelo, Hannibal; Jutkiewicz, Khadra

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Johansson; Harding, Wright, Humphreys, Hjelde; Coventry, Odoffin, Fosu; Ogbene, Hugill, Ferguson

We say: Birmingham City 1-1 Rotherham United

Birmingham have not been convincing in their performances for a long time, with their good early-season form the reason why they are not in more danger at the foot of the Championship.

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