MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 15:41:38| >> :60:98:98:
[monks data]
Birmingham logo
Championship
Dec 13, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Reading logo

6-1

Caddis (4'), Gray (11', 24', 45'), Shinnie (46'), Cotterill (60')
FT(HT: 4-1)
Murray (19')

Preview: Birmingham City vs. Reading

Sports Mole previews Saturday's match between Birmingham and Reading at St Andrew's as the hosts look to bounce back from defeat to Blackpool.

Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett will be keen for his side to make a swift return to winning ways when they host Reading at St Andrew's Stadium this weekend.

The Blues were beaten for the first time under their new manager last weekend, and it was a particularly disappointing loss to bottom club Blackpool.

That defeat aside, though, Rowett's reign has been a successful one so far, and the Blues are four points clear of the relegation zone going into this weekend.

The most notable of the former Burton Albion manager's contributions so far is the improvement of Birmingham's dismal home form, with Rowett having amassed seven points from a possible nine at St Andrew's since his arrival.

Those matches have all come against teams with playoff aspirations too, so they will be full of confidence when taking on Reading this weekend.

Wes Thomas is expected to be involved at some point having served a three-match ban, while returning striker Nikola Zigic could be included in the squad having been granted a work visa this week.

Reading, meanwhile, will be looking to win three matches in a row against Birmingham for the first time in their history.

Consistency has been an issue for the Royals so far this season, however, with Reading failing to string two wins together since mid-September.

A goalless draw against Bolton Wanderers last time out means that they won't be able to do that this weekend either, but should they avoid defeat then they would be on their best run of form for almost three months.

They may well be more confident than usual of picking up the win due to their recent victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road, a result that ended a seven-match winless streak away from home.

Nigel Adkins does have a number of injury concerns to deal with, but Alex Pearce is back available and pushing for a place in the starting lineup.

Birmingham:

Recent form: DWDWWL

Possible starting lineup: Randolph; Caddis, Grounds, Morrison, Robinson; Arthur, Davis, Gleeson, Cotterill, Gray; Donaldson

Reading:

Recent form: LWLLWD

Possible starting lineup: Federici; Gunter, Cooper, Hector, Kelly; Obita, Williams, Norwood, Robson'Kanu, McCleary; Murray

Sports Mole says: 1-1


ID:193116: cacheID:193116:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5238:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Burton manager Gary Rowett looks on prior to the Capital One Cup Second Round match between Burton Albion and Queens Park Rangers at Pirelli Stadium on August 27, 2014
Read Next:
Preview: Birmingham vs. Forest
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Wycombe WanderersWycombe18124239211840
2Wrexham19124328111740
3Birmingham CityBirmingham17123232161639
4Huddersfield TownHuddersfield18112528161235
5Stockport CountyStockport1996431191233
6Reading189453025531
7Bolton WanderersBolton189362829-130
8Barnsley197662725227
9Lincoln CityLincoln197662423127
10Mansfield TownMansfield177372222024
11Exeter CityExeter187381619-324
12Wigan AthleticWigan196581716123
13Charlton AthleticCharlton186571819-123
14Blackpool186572631-523
15Leyton Orient196491920-122
16Stevenage176471316-322
17Peterborough UnitedPeterborough186393332121
18Northampton TownNorthampton195682126-521
19Bristol Rovers186391726-921
20Rotherham UnitedRotherham175571620-420
21Crawley TownCrawley185491728-1119
22Cambridge UnitedCambridge1844101829-1116
23Burton Albion1926111630-1412
24Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury1832131835-1711


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!