Birmingham City vs Stoke City Prediction: Stoke's strong ability to score goals will be the determining factor

On Easter Monday, Birmingham City and Stoke City will face each other in the Championship, both seeking a victory that would practically guarantee their Championship status for the upcoming season. Following recent improved runs of form, the teams are currently placed at the 16th and 14th positions in the standings, respectively, at the second tier.

Birmingham City’s Form

Due to their ongoing off-the-field problems, Birmingham has needed to distance themselves from the relegation zone to alleviate concerns regarding their position in the Championship. However, John Eustace and his team have performed well in recent matches, securing 10 points from their last five games and putting them eight points clear of the bottom three with only six games left to play. Following their 3-0 loss to Watford, the team has managed to achieve 1-0 victories over Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City, as well as a 1-1 draw against potential relegation rivals Reading. The team's ability to come back from behind and earn a draw at Reading could prove pivotal in determining their fate at the end of the season. Despite this, Eustace will be keen to ensure that Birmingham avoids relegation without relying on any other team's results. Although Birmingham has lost eight out of their 20 league games at St Andrew's this season, they have won their last two matches on home turf and only conceded 21 goals in total.

Birmingham City’s possible starting lineup

Jutkiewicz, Khadra, Hall, Chong, Chang, Bielik, Trusty, Long, Roberts, Colin and Ruddy

Stoke City’s Form

It is crucial to emphasize their impressive defensive performance, especially considering Stoke's exceptional goal-scoring form, having scored 13 times in their last four away games. Stoke earned seven points from their recent matches against Swansea City, Sunderland, and Middlesbrough before securing a 4-0 victory at Coventry City. Despite losing 2-1 to Bristol City at home and remaining 10 points behind the playoffs, Alex Neil can take comfort in Stoke's overall improvement under his guidance, with 21 points earned in their last 13 games.

Stoke City’s predicted lineup

Powell, Campbell, Smallbone, Brown, Laurent, Pearson, Sterling, Jagielka, Wilmot, Hoever and Bonham

Birmingham City vs Stoke City Expert Tips

Given that there is less pressure on both teams, any outcome is conceivable. However, we anticipate that Stoke's strong ability to score goals will be the determining factor, and we predict that they will continue their impressive streak away from home. Additionally, there is a possibility that this match may have a low-scoring outcome with less than 2.5 goals.