Sunderland vs Birmingham City Prediction: Birmingham have little to play for in this game

Sunderland is set to host Birmingham City on Saturday at the Stadium of Light. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes? 

On Monday, Sunderland ended their four-match winless run by securing a 1-0 victory against struggling Cardiff, thanks to a second-half goal from Dennis Cirkin. Their last three wins have all come from away matches, and the last time their home supporters saw them win was in February against Reading.

This recent win has put Sunderland in 10th place in the Championship standings, and they are currently four points behind sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers, though the latter has played one game less. Amad Diallo's return from injury will add more attacking quality to Tony Mowbray's side for the remaining matches, with the Manchester United loanee scoring twice on his last appearance at the Stadium of Light on Good Friday.

Although back-to-back promotions seemed like a challenging goal for Sunderland, even if they remain in the second tier next season, this season will be fondly remembered by their supporters.

Patterson; Gooch, Hume, Batth, Cirkin; Ba, Ekwah, Neil; Amad, Pritchard, Clarke

Birmingham kept their unbeaten run going with a goalless draw against Stoke, putting them on 50 points in the Championship with only five games remaining. Despite the dull game, manager John Eustace was pleased with the points tally achieved with a team expected to face relegation. Currently sitting 17th in the standings, the Blues are nine points ahead of Reading in 22nd place, meaning it would take a highly unlikely turn of events to see them relegated. The club has shared points on its last two visits to the Stadium of Light, and attention will now shift to off-pitch matters, with a potential takeover of the club on the horizon.

Ruddy; Colin, Long, Roberts, Trusty; Bielik, Hannibal, Hall, Chong, Khadra; Jutkiewicz

After securing a much-needed win at Cardiff on Monday, Sunderland will be in high spirits and could be confident of defeating a Birmingham side that has little left to play for in their remaining five matches. With Birmingham's recent struggles away from home, despite their recent defensive success, we anticipate Birmingham to experience a lapse in focus at the Stadium of Light, resulting in a loss. We expect less than 2.5 goals in the game.