Birmingham City
- Chris Davies, who took over as Blues boss in July 2024, has instilled a possession-first system with his side looking to build up play through a series of triangles and not looking to overpress their opponents.
- The result has been a solid mid-table showing with Birmingham City on 53 points from 39 games.
Blackburn Rovers
- Blackburn Rovers will take plenty to St Andrew's on Friday when they face Birmingham City in the Championship and should be in the mood to play a high-octane game against a team that enjoys controlling the pace.
- Rovers boss Michael O’Neill has been gradually introducing his ideas since taking charge in February 2026 and the results have been a mixed bag - with the Lancashire club recording 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses in their last five Championship fixtures.
- Rovers play at a high tempo, pressing their opponents and looking to make quick transitions at the other end, but they have been a little too open at the back and will have to stay compact against a Birmingham City side that have been much more methodical in their approach this season.
Head-to-Head
- Birmingham City have won two of the last three Championship home games against Blackburn.
- Blackburn Rovers have one win and two defeats from their last three away games.
Key Players
- Marvin Ducksch is Birmingham’s best goal threat with ten goals in 30 Championship appearances and has scored two of their last three.
- Hayden Carter has two of Blackburn’s last four in his last five appearances, but Rovers have several players that can score and Yuki Ohashi is their most consistent scorer overall with eight in 39 games.
Betting Insights
- But the Blues are more likely to find the net when they get into the attacking third and Rovers have been leaking too many goals on the road, averaging 0.95 goals scored and 1.26 conceded per away game in the Championship this term.
- The Rovers are sitting 19th with 43 points from 39 games.
- Birmingham City are hard to beat at home, where they have won nine, drawn eight and lost only twice in 19 Championship games, so the odds of 1.81 on a home victory are very attractive.
- The clash of styles should make for a lively game that the hosts are most likely to edge, but it is hard to see either side keeping a shutout so odds of 2.2 on over 2.5 goals and 2.0 on both teams to score look attractive.
Prediction
Birmingham City have the more clinical finishers and home advantage , but the visitors will have a go and may score.
