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

The playoff positions slipped further away from the Hornets following a loss at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, while Birmingham gave their survival aims a massive boost by beating Rotherham United.

Match preview

The Chris Wilder era at Watford got off to a less-than-ideal start on Saturday afternoon, as the Hornets were beat at Loftus Road by Gareth Ainsworth's QPR side due to a first-half Tim Iroegbunam goal.

Watford's hierarchy have, as ever, acted impulsively in the managerial market this season in an attempt to get a talented group of players firing, with the club now on their third boss of the campaign following the dismissals of Rob Edwards and Slaven Bilic.

Ex-Sheffield United man Wilder has promotion pedigree in the Championship, and it is likely only a repeat of his achievement with the Blades during the 2018-19 season will keep the 55-year-old in the Hertfordshire hotseat past the conclusion of this campaign.

The Hornets are currently 11th in the second-tier standings, and with six points separating themselves and sixth-placed Millwall, there is plenty of work for Wilder to do to ensure his side end up in the playoffs in May.

Despite the undoubted attacking power within their ranks, Watford have struggled to find the net of late, having failed to score in their last three fixtures - fans will be looking towards the likes of Joao Pedro and Keinan Davis to change the team's offensive fortunes on Tuesday.

Birmingham went a long way in easing any faint fears of relegation this season on Saturday at St Andrew's, with goals from Reda Khadra and Kevin Long securing a 2-0 success over Rotherham.

John Eustace opted for a back four to face the Millers and the ex-Watford captain was rewarded for his bravery, with the wide pairing of Tahith Chong and the goalscoring Khadra giving Blues a consistent attacking threat that is not always present when the team adopts a wing-back system.

Saturday was a perfect day for the Second City club in terms of results, with three points against Matthew Taylor's men being accompanied by losses for Blackpool, Huddersfield Town and Wigan Athletic, meaning Birmingham are now 10 points ahead of the relegation zone with 10 games to play.

Although mathematical safety will not be secured until April at the very earliest, Eustace will know deep down that his side only need a few more points to retain their second-tier status for another year, and that represents an achievement in some sense considering Blues were favourites to suffer relegation in August.

As parts of St Andrew's and Wast Hills training ground sit inhabitable, as well as with the club's questionable ownership under intense scrutiny from the EFL, the only form of stability over the past decade for Bluenoses is that their side play 46 matches of Championship football every season - something that should not be taken for granted.

Watford Championship form:

D

D

W

L

D

L

Birmingham City Championship form:

L

L

L

L

D

W

Team News

Watford have a long list of players in their medical room ahead of the visit of Birmingham, with Hassane Kamara and Joao Ferreira both sidelined due to hamstring injuries.

Francisco Sierralta will miss the remainder of the campaign due to a broken ankle, and right-back Dan Gosling is not expected back until after the international break owning to an Achilles tendon injury.

Birmingham are hopeful of having midfielder Krystian Bielik available for selection at Vicarage Road - the Polish international was forced off against Rotherham after receiving a nasty kick to the head in the first half.

Youngster Jordan James replaced Bielik in the Blues double pivot alongside 20-year-old Alfie Chang, and it could be another very youthful midfield for the visitors on Tuesday, especially with Juninho Bacuna serving the final game of his two-match suspension for collecting 10 yellow cards.

Eustace's four-at-the-back formation worked a treat against the Millers on Saturday, however the Blues boss will be wary of Watford's threat, with a switch to a back five a possibility.

Troy Deeney remains out with a hamstring injury and joins Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Dion Sanderson on the sidelines, with the centre-back not expected back before the end of the campaign due to a back issue.

Watford possible starting lineup:

Bachmann; Porteous, Cathcart, Hoedt; Gaspar, Louza, Choudhury, Sema; Pedro, Sarr, Davis

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:

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

We say: Watford 2-1 Birmingham City

Watford are in desperate need of three points in order to keep their promotion hopes alive, and we expect a response out of the Hornets following their defeat at QPR on Saturday.

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