Aiming to record six straight wins across all competitions, title favourites Birmingham City will welcome a struggling Bristol Rovers outfit to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on Saturday afternoon in League One.
Blues booked their spot in the last 16 of the EFL Trophy with a win at Exeter City on Tuesday, whereas the Gas have been afforded over a week to reflect on a disappointing display at Leyton Orient in the third tier.
Match preview
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Following the shock 3-2 defeat at The Croud Meadow to Gareth Ainsworth's Shrewsbury Town on November 23, Birmingham City have managed to get their lofty 2024-25 ambitions back on track, enjoying a five-game winning run across League One, FA Cup and EFL Trophy since November 26.
Two weeks after securing a League One maximum in Devon, Blues returned to the home of Exeter for an EFL Trophy clash on Tuesday night, when strikes either side of the half-time whistle from Luke Harris and Keshi Anderson sandwiched Pierce Sweeney's goal directly from a corner for the hosts.
With a spot booked in a favourable-looking Southern Section draw for the last 16, Chris Davies's troops will now turn their attentions to third-tier matters, with Birmingham facing relegation-threatened Bristol Rovers and Crawley Town before earning a momentary pause for Christmas.
Collecting nine points from their last three league contests, Blues are within striking distance of the summit of the League One table, one point behind current pacesetters Wycombe Wanderers, with the Second City club having played a game fewer than Matt Bloomfield's Chairboys.
Back in his preferred central-striking role, Alfie May took his goal tally up to seven for the third-tier term after bagging a brace during Birmingham's most recent home match against Stockport County, with the PFA League One Player of the Year providing 11 goal contributions so far this season.
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With the club's hierarchy openly demanding a top-half finish from their side this season, Bristol Rovers are failing to live up to expectations of tangible progress so far during the 2024-25 campaign, with Saturday's visitors to Birmingham suffering with major inconsistency.
The Gas have lost back-to-back third-tier matches most recently, conceding two goals at home to Steve Bruce's Blackpool on November 26 before commencing their festive schedule with a three-goal thumping at the hands of an in-form Leyton Orient side in the capital on December 3.
Due to the dangers posed by Storm Darragh, last weekend's clash with Bolton Wanderers at the Memorial Stadium was postponed, meaning that Bristol Rovers will have enjoyed 11 days on the training pitch before they look to conquer a Birmingham side who have not lost at home in the league this season.
With just the one third-tier win across their last six contests, the Gas are currently languishing down in 18th spot in the League One standings, two points behind 12th-placed Charlton Athletic and a mere two points ahead of Crawley in the highest of the dreaded relegation spots.
Taylor's troops will need to increase their efficiency in front of net if they wish to challenge in the top half of the table later in the term, with only Stevenage (13), Wigan Athletic (15), Exeter (16), Rotherham United and Burton Albion (16) scoring fewer goals than Bristol Rovers' 17 goals across 18 League One contests.
Team News
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Back from a League One suspension and fresh off scoring the winner in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday, Anderson is expected to return to the Birmingham XI in the Second City this weekend.
Ayumu Yokoyama impressed during the Exeter success but has not earned the trust of head coach Davies for league starts, meaning that Jay Stansfield is set to play on the left.
Both sidelined from the Barnsley trip last weekend due to illness, Willum Willumsson and Lyndon Dykes should both re-enter the matchday squad for the hosts.
Suffering a nasty cut to the foot just minutes into the Oakwell contest, Alex Cochrane is preparing to miss his first League One game of the season.
Following the 3-0 loss at Leyton Orient last time out, Bristol Rovers are likely to make alterations to their XI, with Clinton Mola and Taylor Moore potentially dropping to the bench.
Firing a blank in the capital, the Gas could opt to freshen up an attack which is struggling to perform consistently, with the likes of Gatlin O'Donkor and Luke McCormick pushing for starts.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Allsopp; Bielik, Klarer, Davies, Laird; Paik, Iwata, Anderson, Willumsson, Stansfield; May
Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:
Griffiths; Senior, Taylor, Wilson, Forbes; Lindsay, Ward, Forde, McCormick, Sinclair; O'Donkor
We say: Birmingham City 1-0 Bristol Rovers
In the midst of their longest winning run of the campaign, Birmingham should be extremely confident of extending their unbeaten run at home to nine league matches.
That being said, a Bristol Rovers side full of rest and with a top goalkeeper could make it a taxing afternoon for the title candidates in the Second City.
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Carter White
