Birmingham City, led by interim coach Gary Rowett, have been struggling to maintain their 13-year stay in the Championship after a 1-2 loss against Leicester. Their fifth defeat in the last six second-tier fixtures, coupled with Huddersfield’s victory over Millwall, has put them below the Championship’s dotted line. The Blues, the most out-of-form side in the division, must find a way out of the crisis as the season approaches. Cardiff, on the other hand, has secured 71% of this term’s points in front of the home crowd. Cardiff started the month on the right foot by beating Coventry 2-1, but Hull City’s 1-3 defeat in Wales further weakened their chances. With a 14-point cushion above the bottom three, the Bluebirds have little left to fight for as they head into the final five rounds of the season. However, Erol Bulut’s squad has positive signals ahead of the midweek visit, having come out on the winning side in three of the last four H2H meetings at St Andrew’s.

Birmingham City’s Gary Rowett is solely concerned about fitness due to an intact squad, with Alfie Chang sidelined due to knee injury. The Blues may use a 4-2-3-1 system, selecting John Ruddy, Ethan Laird, Dion Sanderson, and others.

Cardiff City’s gaffer, Erol Bulut, is primarily focused on fitness due to a full-strength squad. Mark McGuinness is out due to an unknown injury. The Bluebirds are likely to use a 4-4-2 system, starting Ethan Horvath, Perry Ng, Nathaniel Phillips, and others.

Predicted lineups:

Birmingham

Goalkeeper: John Ruddy
Defenders: Ethan Laird, Lee Buchanan, Dion Sanderson, Emanuel Aiwu
Midfielders: Krystian Bielik, Juninho Bacuna, Koji Miyoshi, Seung-ho Paik, Jordan James
Forwards: Jay Stansfield

Cardiff

Goalkeeper: Ethan Horvath
Defenders: Dimitrios Goutas, Nathaniel Phillips, Jamilu Collins, Perry Ng
Midfielders: Joe Ralls, Josh Bowler, Karlan Grant, Manolis Siopis
Forwards: David Turnbull, Yakou Meite

• Birmingham – 1 win
• Cardiff – 3 wins
• Draws – 2

Over all competition record

EFL Championship Standings

Cardiff City may score a goal against Birmingham City, but their chances are unlikely. Our pick is a narrow 2-1 victory for Birmingham City.

Winning probability:

Birmingham – 49%

Draw – 27%

Cardiff – 24%

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