Birmingham City are eager to finish their home campaign on a high note at St Andrew’s, hoping to clinch a 12th victory in front of their fans at Knighthead Park. The Blues have been formidable on home turf, boasting the Championship’s fourth-best home record with 41 points from 22 matches.
However, Birmingham’s struggles away from home—where their record ranks just above Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United—have stymied any serious promotion challenge. Their final home opponents this season, Bristol City, come to St Andrew’s as Chris Davies considers making several changes to the side that beat Preston on Wednesday.
One expected change is the absence of Ibrahim Osman, who suffered a head injury resulting in concussion protocols that will likely rule him out of the last home game of his loan spell. Demarai Gray seems the natural replacement on the left wing. Four months after a season-derailing calf injury sustained against Derby County on Boxing Day, Gray has yet to regain his earlier form. Before the injury, he was in impressive form with five goals and five assists in 24 appearances, but he has since lost his place to Osman.
READ MORE: Second Bid to Convert Former Pub into Residential Housing in Walsall
READ MORE: 33 Birmingham and Black Country Pubs Immortalized in Nostalgic New Book
On the opposite wing, the situation is different. Patrick Roberts, once a key performer, has been relegated to the bench as Davies has favored Carlos Vicente, who has held his position with three consecutive starts. Given this, it’s unlikely Roberts will return to the starting eleven.
Beyond these wing adjustments, two other changes are anticipated. Bright Osayi-Samuel has proven a more effective partner for Vicente on the right flank than Ethan Laird, contributing to improved defensive solidity during the match against Preston. Additionally, Jhon Solis is expected to come in for either Tomoki Iwata or Paik Seung-ho in midfield. Paik has outperformed Iwata recently, demonstrating superior ball control and possession skills, which will be crucial as Birmingham looks to dominate possession at home.
Davies may opt for further tweaks, but his approach this season has been pragmatic and focused, as demonstrated by only three substitutions made in the previous match. The manager is determined to finish strong, making selections aimed at securing points rather than offering players game time for experience.
With this match potentially influencing his future at the club, Davies shows no inclination toward sentimentality, looking instead to field the strongest possible lineup to close the season at St Andrew’s.
Probable lineup (4-2-3-1): Beadle; Osayi-Samuel, Neumann, Klarer, Wagner; Solis, Paik; Vicente, Stansfield, Gray; Priske