Birmingham City predicted line-up vs Preston North End: four changes made as Blues look to end troubling run
Chris Davies could look to shake up the Birmingham City lineup as he targets a return to winning ways
Birmingham City’s proud 29-match unbeaten record at home came to a thudding halt at the weekend in a disappointing 3-2 defeat to a Hull City side that prior to kick-off had been searching for their first away win of the campaign.
An own goal from Jack Robinson, who saw a yellow card upgraded to a red in the space of 10 second half seconds, set Hull on their way to a shock win before further strikes from Regan Slater and Joe Gelhardt.
Jay Stansfield had threatened to level proceedings with a first half equaliser and again found the net with a 96th minute consolation, but it wasn’t enough to stop Birmingham falling to their fourth defeat of the campaign as their winless run also stretched to four matches.
Chris Davies needs results in the coming weeks if he is to get his side back into play-off contention. Next up for the Blues is a trip to Lancashire to face a Preston side that have so far been tough to beat - losing just twice in 10 matches. Ahead of kick-off, we’ve taken a look at how Birmingham are likely to line-up with four changes included.
Birmingham City predicted XI vs Preston: goalkeeper and defence
GK:James Beadle: The Brighton loanee has recently usurped Ryan Allsop in the pecking order having started the last two matches. He’s not been convincing yet in this period but is expected to be given further chances to prove himself.
RB: Bright Osayi-Samuel: The summer signing could return to play on the right side of defence after being named on the bench against Hull City. It’s a move which would allow Tomoki Iwata to play further up the pitch in a more natural midfield position.
CB: Phil Neumann: Jack Robinson’s suspension could hand Phil Neumann a chance to start in central defence as the Blues seek a much-needed clean sheet.
CB: Christoph Klarer: Comfortably Birmingham’s best defender in League One last season, things haven’t been quite as easy this year Christoph Klarer, but he remains an important player in Chris Davies’ plans for the season.
LB: Alex Cochrane: The Scottish defender has rarely been dropped from the lineup and is expected to retain his place against Preston.
Birmingham City predicted XI vs Preston: midfield and attack
CM: Tomoki Iwata: Japanese midfielder Tomoki Iwata has done a steady enough job at right-back but he’s much more suited to playing in central midfield. We expect him to return their soon and replace Marc Leonard in the starting line-up.
CM: Tommy Doyle: Former Sheffield United midfielder Tommy Doyle is yet to establish himself as a regular starter for Birmingham but could be handed a chance this Tuesday as Chris Davies looks to freshen up the squad. He comes in to replace Paik Seung-ho.
RM: Patrick Roberts: Sunderland loanee Patrick Roberts is likely to start on the right-wing where he’ll hope to improve on his record of just two goal contributions so far.
CAM: Kyōgo Furuhashi: Birmingham need much more from marquee signing Kyogo Furuhashi. He’s yet to hit the ground running but could change that against Preston this week.
LM: Demarai Gray: Jamaican international Demari Gray also hasn’t hit the heights expected of him since his big summer move. But he remains one of the more accomplished players in the Blues squad and a real handful for defenders on his day.
ST: Jay Stansfield: After scoring twice at the weekend, Jay Stansfield has proven he deserves a place in the starting line-up. He’s scored five in nine this term and at present is one of the few that has made the jump in division look natural.