Birmingham City play host to Charlton Athletic on Saturday looking to register the positive result that would retain their place in the top six of the Championship standings.
Charlton visit St Andrew's on the back of their first victory in 13 games, and interim boss Karel Fraeye will be looking at Saturday's game as an opportunity to stake his claim for the full-time position at The Valley.
Birmingham City
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After three games without a win or a goal, Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett must have had concerns that his side's early-season form was being undone, but before the international break, they responded in the best way possible.
During the early stages of their fixture away at Fulham, Stephen Gleeson netted to end the club's 359-minute barren spell in front of goal, and his effort opened the floodgates as the Blues ran riot at Craven Cottage, scoring five times to regain their place in the playoffs and end the tenure of opposing boss Kit Symons.
Much of Birmingham's success this season has been built around grinding results out, with their five-star performance in West London just the second time that they had scored more than twice in a match all season.
It is an interesting statistic for a team who find themselves only six points off the automatic promotion places, but it highlights the togetherness in the squad, while their record on the road is comfortably the best in the Championship, with five wins being earned and just seven goals being conceded in eight matches.
However, it is their form at St Andrew's that needs addressing. Birmingham have won just three times in front of their own supporters this season, with just one triumph coming since September 12, and if the club are to maintain a promotion push, they must begin to record more points in the West Midlands, starting on Saturday afternoon.
Recent form: WWLLDW
Charlton Athletic
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Having lost his first two games in temporary charge without scoring a goal, interim boss Fraeye would have been aware that only three points against Sheffield Wednesday would be good enough to extend his stay at The Valley into the closing weeks of November.
With the Addicks having failed to score in over a month, the odds were against his side but three goals either side of half time helped the club to a comfortable victory against one of the division's in-form sides, while also hauling them to within a point of safety.
It is potentially only a small reprieve for a manager who has expressed his desire to succeed in English football, but it has given the 37-year-old something to work with ahead of the trip to Birmingham, which is Charlton's third away game in four.
While Simon Makienok and Reza Ghoochannejhad would have been boosted by their goals two weeks ago, the club's attack has also been bolstered by the signing of Ricardo Vaz Te, a striker who has shown in the past that he is capable of scoring on a regular basis in the second tier of English football.
The former Portugal Under-23 international may have to bide his time for a start, but against opponents who are struggling to close out results at home, his pace and power could prove pivotal in the final stages as Fraeye looks for another result that would do his job prospects at the club the world of good.
Recent form: LLLLLW
Team News
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Tony Watt is a major doubt as he continues his recovery from injury, while Fraeye has revealed that no decision will be made regarding the fitness of Chris Solly until Saturday.
Fraeye must also decide whether to start Ghoochannejhad after the forward spent over 24 hours travelling back from international duty with Iran.
Rowett could go with the same team that started the last match at Craven Cottage, providing that Clayton Donaldson has recovered from his international exertions.
The forward netted for Jamaica against Haiti on Tuesday night, and it remains to be seen whether he will feature from the opening whistle.
Both David Cotterill and Paul Robinson will be absent until the Christmas period with knee and quadriceps injuries respectively.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Kuszczak, Caddis, Morrison, Spector, Grounds, Gleeson, Davis, Gray, Toral, Maghoma, Donaldson
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Henderson, Holmes-Dennis, Bauer, Sarr, Fox, Ba, Diarra, Berg Gudmundsson, Jackson, Makienok, Ghoochannejhad
Head To Head
The two clubs have met on 62 previous occasions, with Charlton edging the head-to-head record by 22 victories to 20.
Since 2008, the clubs have played each other eight times in the Championship, with Charlton winning just one match during that period.
That came at St Andrew's in November 2013, and their recent record in the West Midlands is respectable, with four points coming from three visits.
We say: Birmingham City 2-1 Charlton Athletic
Despite Birmingham's poor record in front of their home supporters, five goals against Fulham has provided the club with a huge boost, and although Charlton should pose a threat, we are backing the Blues to edge out their London opponents.
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