Cardiff City vs Birmingham City Prediction: Cardiff can break into top six

Cardiff City will welcome Birmingham City at Cardiff City Stadium in Game Week 21 of the English Championship. The bluebirds are trying to break into the top six. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Cardiff City form

Cardiff suffered consecutive defeats for the first time since August, losing to West Bromwich Albion and Southampton. However, they bounced back with a gutsy 1-0 win against Millwall, although the overall quality of the match was lacking. The winning goal came from a corner kick, with centre-back Dimitrios Goutas heading it past the Lions' goalkeeper, Matija Sarkic. Despite their recent struggles, Cardiff is currently seventh in the Championship table, just behind Sunderland on goal difference. They have struggled to score goals this season, with Ike Ugbo being their top scorer with only four goals so far. Therefore, manager Erol Bulut is interested in Kieffer Moore's situation at Bournemouth for the upcoming January transfer window. Cardiff had previously faced Birmingham in the EFL Cup, winning 3-1 with a lineup consisting of younger players like Rubin Colwill.

Cardiff City Predicted Lineup

Runarsson; Ng, Goutas, McGuiness, Collins; Wintle, Siopis, Bowler, Colwill, Grant; Meite

Birmingham City form

Callum O'Hare, who hails from Solihull, scored two goals that led to Birmingham City's 2-0 defeat against Coventry City on Friday night. The match took place at the Coventry Building Society Arena and was watched by television viewers as well as 4,000 disappointed Birmingham fans in the away section. This loss means that Wayne Rooney, in his role as the manager, has only won one out of his first nine matches.

Birmingham City had to make do with a makeshift defense, with midfielder Juninho Bacuna playing as a right-back and Marc Roberts making his first start of the season. Coventry City, who have struggled with creativity since Gustavo Hamer left the team, easily broke through the Blues' defense at times, while Birmingham City failed to create any significant scoring opportunities for themselves.

While it was expected that there would be bumps in the transition to a "no fear" style of play under Rooney's guidance, most supporters would have anticipated more than five points from the first nine games. With Queens Park Rangers experiencing a major improvement under Marti Cifuentes, Birmingham City now sits just four points above the relegation zone.

Although Rooney is facing criticism for the team's recent performances, it is important to note that Birmingham City has long struggled in away matches, even during the time of their previous manager, Eustace. The team will aim to avoid a ninth consecutive away defeat on Wednesday night, as their last victory on the road was against Bristol City in August.

Rooney has urged his players to translate their positive performances on the training ground into actual Championship matches. He wants the squad to stop relying solely on the individual brilliance of Siriki Dembele, who has scored five goals, in order to achieve positive results.

Birmingham City Predicted Lineup

Ruddy; Bacuna, Sanderson, Roberts, Buchanan; James, Sunjic, Dembele, Donovan; Burke, Stanfield

Cardiff City vs Birmingham City Expert Tips

Cardiff has not been performing at their peak in recent weeks; however, they remain optimistic about achieving consecutive victories when Birmingham comes to South Wales on Wednesday. The Blues have suffered defeat in their last eight matches away from home and have displayed minimal indications of progress under Rooney's leadership. Consequently, it is difficult to anticipate anything other than a triumph for the Bluebirds.