Preview: Birmingham City vs Southampton - prediction, team news, lineups

Hoping to regain a foothold in the Championship before the new year, Birmingham City will welcome Southampton to St Andrew's on Monday.

The Blues are looking for their first win in six games, while the Saints have lost two of their last three.

Match preview

Chris Davies's Birmingham clawed their way back to the Championship by winning League One in 2024-25, and after a strong start to this season, the club are eyeing consecutive promotions.

However, it would be fair to say that the Blues have stumbled in recent weeks given that they come into this clash on the back of a dire five-game winless run, losing three and drawing two since last earning a victory with a 2-1 triumph over Watford on December 1.

Most recently, Davies's side followed up a 3-0 defeat on the road to Sheffield United by taking a point in a 1-1 stalemate with Derby County, coming from behind against the 10-man Rams thanks to a second-half effort from Jack Robinson.

That draw has Birmingham 15th in the table, though their tally of 30 points sees them just six behind sixth-placed Bristol City after 23 matches.

Desperate to get back to winning ways in the final days of 2025, the Blues will be wary of coming up against Southampton once again after being on the receiving end of a 3-1 loss at St Mary's Stadium on December 6.

On the other hand, the hosts will take heart from the strength of their record at St Andrew's, which features an ongoing six-game unbeaten streak consisting of four wins and two draws ahead of Monday's showdown.

Meanwhile, Southampton are dreaming of an immediate return to the Premier League following their demotion from the top flight, but things have not gone according to plan so far.

The Saints parted ways with former manager Will Still last month with the club 21st in the second tier, but the team won four of their first five games under the guidance of then-Under-21s coach Tonda Eckert, leading to his permanent appointment in early December.

When signing his contract, the 32-year-old boss stated that his side want to "play for promotion", but with two defeats and a draw from their three most recent games, they have taken a step back.

On Friday, Southampton were downed 2-1 by Oxford United, losing out to an 89th-minute winner from the U's Stanley Mills after fighting back to 1-1 in the first half.

That disappointment has left the Saints 12th, but it is important to highlight that they are just five short of the playoffs, a recoverable gap with half of the season to play.

However, despite seeing their team beat Birmingham just three weeks ago, travelling fans will be concerned about Monday's clash considering that the visitors have lost their past three away games, as well as the fact that they have not kept a clean sheet on the road since August.

Birmingham City Championship form:

Southampton Championship form:

Team News

Birmingham have an extensive list of absentees to contend with, including midfielder Tommy Doyle and centre-back Christoph Klarer, both of whom are suspended.

Out wide, left-backs Alex Cochrane and Lee Buchanan are sidelined with respective muscle and knee injuries, while Ethan Laird is dealing with a hamstring problem, and right-back Bright Osayi-Samuel is away on international duty.

With that in mind, Davies could opt for Tomoki Iwata and Eiran Cashin at full-back once again, where they look set to flank centre-halves Jack Robinson and Phil Neumann.

Further forward, left-winger Demarai Gray îs out with a calf issue, and his right-sided counterpart Scott Wright continues to work his way back from a knee injury, so expect to see Lewis Koumas join Jay Stansfield and Patrick Roberts behind striker Marvin Ducksch.

As for Southampton, they are lighter than ideal on the right, with both Elias Jelert and Mads Roerslev injured, though Tom Fellows should be on hand to start at wing-back.

Elsewhere, the Saints have a number of players recovering from hamstring problems, including striker Ross Stewart, left-winger Samuel Edozie and midfielder Shea Charles.

To fill the gaps, Eckert may continue with Caspar Jander and Flynn Downes in the centre of the park, while Finn Azaz and Leonardo Weschenfelder-Scienza are likely to be supporting centre-forward Adam Armstrong, as fellow striker Damion Downs is a doubt.

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:

Beadle; Iwata, Neumann, Robinson, Cashin; Leonard, Paik; Roberts, Stansfield, Koumas; Ducksch

Southampton possible starting lineup:

Bazunu; Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Stephens; Fellows, Jander, Downes, Manning; Azaz, Scienza; Armstrong