Sunday’s football on TV, kicks off with Championship action at Pride Park as relegation-battling Derby County take on Blues.
Despite boasting a 12-point lead over 22nd-placed Peterborough United, we’re are not off the hook yet, with the Posh having two games in hand.
A run of poor form saw us pick up just one win from four league matches going into January’s final weekend (D2, L1), including a 2-2 home draw with Peterborough last time out, although in some ways – that felt like a win!
We’re are not enjoying the best of times, and any hope of closing a staggering 11-point gap on sixth-placed Huddersfield Town could hinge on us showing up at Pride Park.
Blues have to launch a substantial winning streak if we are to reach the Premier League play-offs come May, (which in truth is pretty fanciful – however never say never), and a trip to an out-of-sorts Derby appears to be as good a place to start as anywhere.
Wayne Rooney’s unrelenting efforts to ensure the Rams’ salvation amid growing financial troubles could go in vain, with the club’s very existence at risk after 138 years.
His impressive work to keep Derby’s heads above water could count for nought should they fail to deliver proof to the EFL by February 1st that they can afford to see out the season.
Derby County vs Birmingham City Head-to-Head
Scott Hogan and Jeremie Bela scored either side of half-time to fire Birmingham to a comfortable 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in September, making it two H2H wins in a row.
Those two successes are as many as Blues have had in the previous 16 league matches against Derby (W2, D6, L8), underlining the struggle against our opponents from the east.
However, another triumph at Pride Park would see Blues complete our first league double over the Rams since 2006/07 when both sides ultimately earned Premier League promotion.
Birmingham City Preview
Despite coming from a 2-0 down to hold Peterborough to a 2-2 draw last time out, conceding first may prove detrimental to our hopes of winning. We have racked up fewer points from losing positions than any other side in this Championship campaign, picking up only three from 16 league games when falling behind (D3, L13). We MUST improve this, and I guess by doing it on Tuesday, is a positive – even if the performance from 85 or so minutes wasn’t!
Furthermore, we have now gone winless in our last six away league matches (D2, L4) since cruising to a 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough in late October.
The form wobble on away has emanated from uninspiring attacking showings, as we have averaged just 0.92 goals per Championship trip this season. Again this is something we need to sort out.
This is particularly worrying, given that Derby have won their last three league fixtures at home without conceding a single goal.
One positive is Bowyer has managed to add a couple of new players to help our attack. Firstly we have signed midfielder 24 year old Juninho Bacuna from Rangers for an undisclosed fee on a three and a half contract.
We have also added Forest forward Lyle Taylor, (31), on loan for the remainder of the season. Hopefully these two will give us some much needed creativity. If Lyle plays on Sunday, I’m sure he’ll want to do well at Pride Park with his Forest connection!
Player to Watch
Scott Hogan has come into some form recently, and has made the Football League news headlines, by finding the back of the net in three of his last four Championship appearances. He is beginning to look hungry again.
The 29-year-old is our top scorer in the league this term with nine goals under his belt, having netted at least five more times than any other Blues player.
Derby County vs Birmingham City Prediction
If it weren’t for Rooney’s determined leadership, Derby’s hopes of ensuring Championship salvation would have been already gone on the back of a 21-point deduction. But their recent solid performances have given them some hope.
Blues really need to get some momentum to get a run going, and who know coming back at the death from 2-0 down on Tuesday, could be the start of that. Playing Derby next must surely be an opportunity for us to build on that.
Prediction: Derby County 1-2 Birmingham (I’m hoping!)
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