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

Blues hit a new low during the sobering defeat to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, whilst the Hornets are preparing for life under fresh management following a poor run of results.

Match preview

During a campaign in which they were meant to be on the rise again, Birmingham City are sliding towards the Championship trapdoor after a 1-0 defeat to Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough at St Andrew's on Tuesday night, when the hosts failed to test Seny Dieng in the Boro goal.

Former Blues midfielder Riley McGree rifled an effort past John Ruddy to make it three-straight wins for the Teesside club as they make a late push for the playoff positions, whilst Birmingham are now truly embroiled in a scrap to extend their stay in the second tier to 14 seasons.

Since Tony Mowbray stepped back from managerial duties due to requiring treatment for a medical diagnosis, Saturday's hosts have collected just a single point from five Championship matches, leaving the Second City club in 21st, just a single point ahead of 22nd-placed Huddersfield Town.

With Andre Breitenreiter's Terriers facing a trip to League One-bound Rotherham United on the weekend, all those of a Birmingham persuasion will be painfully aware that anything other than maximum points against Watford on Saturday will likely leave Blues in the bottom three during the international break.

Mark Venus has the unenviable job of attempting to lift a confidence-sapped group of players ahead of a sixth league match without Mowbray on the sidelines, however a cause for optimism arrives from Birmingham's form at St Andrew's, where they lost just five times in 18 matches so far in 2023-24.

Becoming the 13th club in the Championship to part ways with a manager over the course of a chaotic second-tier campaign, Watford waved goodbye to the services of Valerien Ismael after a 2-1 defeat at Vicarage Road to playoff-chasing Coventry City, with the Hornets' promotion dreams buried for another season.

Looking to end a three-game winless streak last time out, things started brightly for Ismael's men as centre-back Ryan Porteous handed them a one-goal lead after 20 minutes, however strikes either side of the half-time whistle from United States international Haji Wright sealed a comeback victory for the Sky Blues.

With Ismael removed from the Hertfordshire hotseat, former England international and Watford player Tom Cleverley will take interim charge of the club at St Andrew's on Saturday, with the 34-year-old assuming the responsibility of a first-team manager for the first time in his brief coaching career.

After a wretched run of just one win from their last 10 Championship contests, the Hornets are languishing in 14th position in the second-tier table, 13 points behind Norwich City in sixth and - perhaps more worryingly - just seven points ahead of Huddersfield in 22nd.

Watford have an outstanding recent record against Birmingham, winning five and drawing one of the last six meetings between the sides, including a 1-0 victory in the Second City in December 2020, when Bluenose Troy Deeney smashed in a decisive penalty to sentence his boyhood club to defeat.

Birmingham City Championship form:

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L

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D

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L

Watford Championship form:

L

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D

L

Team News

Birmingham are expected to be without the services of centre-back Marc Roberts on Saturday, with the former Barnsley man forced off due to a recurring calf issue on Tuesday.

Blues' options in the defence will be boosted by the return of Dion Sanderson, who has missed the last three matches because of a straight red collected in the loss to Southampton.

After his side produced a limp display against Middlesbrough, Venus could be tempted to raft in a number of Birmingham's hardened relegation fighters, including Lukas Jutkiewicz and Ivan Sunjic.

The hosts will be unable to call on the talents of Siriki Dembele, though, with the tricky winger out until after the international break because of a foot injury.

Watford remain without first-choice right-back Jeremy Ngakia, meaning that 19-year-old Ryan Andrews should continue on the right side of the backline.

After being substituted at half time against Coventry due to injury, Giorgi Chakvetadze is not expected to feature for the Hornets at St Andrew's this weekend.

The visitors will also be without Swedish winger Ken Sema, who has history of tormenting Birmingham defences over recent meetings.

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:

Ruddy; Laird, Aiwu, Sanderson, Buchanan; Paik, James, Bacuna, Pritchard, Stansfield; Jutkiewicz

Watford possible starting lineup:

Bachmann; Andrews, Porteous, Hoedt, Lewis; Kayembe, Dele-Bashiru, Kone; Asprilla, Bayo, Dennis

We say: Birmingham City 1-1 Watford

Birmingham's performance against Middlesbrough was highly concerning, but we reckon that a change of style could help Blues towards earning a result on Saturday.

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