Looking to record back-to-back home wins under the stewardship of Wayne Rooney, Birmingham City will host relegation-threatened Rotherham United at St Andrew's on Saturday afternoon in the Championship.
Blues are aiming to bounce back from a loss at Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night, whereas the Millers suffered a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Hull City a day earlier.
Match preview
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Birmingham extended their losing run in away contests to seven matches on Wednesday night, losing 4-2 at top-six chasing Blackburn, meaning that new Blues manager Rooney has collected just four second-tier points from this opening seven matches since the sacking of John Eustace in October.
The visitors at Ewood Park weathered an early Rovers storm and pressed their hosts well in the first period, but 15 minutes of madness at the start of the second period allowed Jon Dahl Tomasson's men to essentially seal the points, with James Hill's first goal for the club and a Sammie Szmodics brace putting them three goals ahead.
A largely disjointed second-half display from Birmingham had little to excite the travelling support other than the dazzling talents of winger Siriki Dembele, who bagged his fourth and fifth goals of the Championship season to give Rooney's side a glimmer of hope in the freezing Lancashire settings.
Saturday's meeting with Rotherham is being viewed in a similar light to the visit of bottom side Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, when Blues picked up their first maximum under Manchester United legend Rooney, with Juninho Bacuna and Jordan James completing a much-needed comeback following George Byers's opener for the Owls.
Bluenoses turning up to a revamped St Andrew's on the weekend will be expecting nothing less than three points and a solid performance, and their side's results in the Second City have been very respectable so far, with Blues collecting 18 points from their nine home matches.
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After a relatively-comfortable 19th-placed finish last year under the management of Matt Taylor, Rotherham United have regained their title as Championship whipping boys and look set for a struggle to avoid the drop, not helped by their ongoing search for a permanent head coach.
Wayne Carlisle is currently in charge of the Millers as they endure a six-game winless run in the second tier, with the Yorkshire side losing 4-1 at Liam Rosenior's Hull on Tuesday night after goals from Jaden Philogene-Bidace, Tyler Morton and Scott Twine for the Tigers.
Rotherham are firmly inside the bottom three of the second-tier table after 18 matches, having collected just 12 points in the opening months of the season, meaning they are seven points behind Darren Moore's Huddersfield Town in 21st ahead of a trip to St Andrew's on Saturday afternoon.
Reports are suggesting that interim boss Carlisle will still be in control of the team in the Second City as the search for Taylor's successor continues into December, with former Luton Town manager Nathan Jones said to be unlikely to take the reins at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
The Millers' away form in 2023-24 has been nothing short of disastrous as they have earned just a single point from nine Championship outings, but that result did arrive at the home of recently-relegated Southampton, with Jordan Hugill's second-half strike forcing a share of the spoils against Russell Martin's Saints.
Team News
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Birmingham manager Rooney could be set to make alterations to his backline after they shipped four goals at Ewood Park, meaning Austrian defender Emanuel Aiwu may drop to the bench to make way for Ethan Laird.
Koji Miyoshi and Oliver Burke are expected to return to the starting XI for Saturday's contest, with the latter set to partner Fulham loanee Jay Stansfield in attack.
Fresh from signing his first professional contract on his 17th birthday, academy graduate Romelle Donovan could be included in the matchday squad this weekend.
Rotherham have a pair of former Birmingham players in the medical room, with both Shane Ferguson and Tyler Blackett expected to be sidelined for at least a week.
Sam Clucas proved at Stoke City that he has the ability to trouble any second-tier defence, but the winger is currently absent due to hamstring injury.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Laird, Sanderson, Buchanan, Drameh; Bielik, James, Miyoshi, Dembele, Burke, Stansfield
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Lembikisa, Morrison, Hall, Bramall; Rathbone, Tiehi, Odoffin, Revan, Kelly, Eaves
We say: Birmingham City 3-1 Rotherham United
Birmingham have been defensively weak since the arrival of Rooney last month, but you feel that the likes of Dembele and Miyoshi will be able to cause Rotherham enough problems to bail out the hosts' backline.
Rotherham have struggled massively away from home this season, and we cannot envisage that changing at an expectant St Andrew's on Saturday afternoon.
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Top tip
Carter White
