Birmingham City predicted XI vs Coventry: two defenders dropped in formation change

Predicting Birmingham City's lineup away at Coventry City in the Championship. | Getty Images

placeholder image — Predicting Birmingham City's lineup away at Coventry City in the Championship. | Getty Images

Predicting Chris Davies’ Birmingham City lineup to take on Coventry City away in the Championship.

Birmingham City are in Championship action this Saturday lunchtime for a pivotal clash away at fellow promotion hopefuls Coventry City.

Chris Davies’ side, behind the Sky Blues on goal difference, will be eager to leapfrog this weekend’s opponents in what could prove to be a crucial clash come the end of the season. Coventry, unbeaten with two wins and four draws, have scored the most goals in the division with 15, so Blues must be at their absolute best to get anything from this encounter.

Davies typically sets his teams up in a 4-2-3-1 formation but could brave a subtle tweak to a 4-3-3, as Coventry’s midfield trio of Matt Grimes, Jack Rudoni and Victor Torp could otherwise be too overwhelming. Meanwhile, there are some selection dilemmas in defence following

Birmingham City predicted lineup vs Coventry

With that in mind, here’s the Blues starting XI we reckon Davies will name against the Sky Blues.

GK: Ryan Allsop: Last season’s League One Golden Glove winner has remained as Blues’ first-choice goalkeeper. Brighton loanee James Beadle is waiting in the wings, though, and offers strong competition.

RB - Ethan Laird: There could be a return to the XI for Laird after Bright Osayi-Samuel struggled last weekend, run ragged by Swansea winger Zeidane Inoussa. It’s an easy rotation.

CB - Christoph Klarer: The new captain is pivotal to this squad and he can expect to start every single Championship fixture if he remains fit. There aren’t many in the division better in the air than Klarer.

CB - Jack Robinson: Sheffield United may have made a mistake letting Robinson leave on loan. The Blades skipper did superbly last time out and the defence looked far more assured with him in it. Phil Neumann will be benched again, most likely.

LB - Alex Cochrane: Despite having a really poor game at Stoke, Cochrane bounced back against Swansea and deserves to start again. Eiran Cashin is knocking on the door but it’s Cochrane’s spot to lose.

CM - Tomoki Iwata: It’s been a tough start to the season for Iwata, but we all know what he’s capable of. The Japanese may benefit from having an extra man in midfield.

CM - Paik Seung-ho: Deciding who partners Iwata each week has been difficult for Davies. Paik probably just about nudges in ahead of Tommy Doyle, who could be benched after an underwhelming display at Stoke.

CM - Tommy Doyle: The extra addition to the midfield at the expense of Marvin Ducksch, Doyle dropping deep could help Blues both in and out of position against Frank Lampard’s side.

RW - Patrick Roberts: An exciting addition from Sunderland, Roberts was the game-changer off the bench last weekend. If the winger can perform like that every week, he should be a regular starter.

LW - Demarai Gray: Capable of playing on either flank, Gray can move to the left to facilitate Roberts’ arrival. The winger is yet to score since his return to the club but the goal is surely coming.

ST - Jay Stansfield: The England Under-21 international likes to make runs into the channels rather than hold off. Kyogo Furuhashi, meanwhile, has been poor in his recent outings. Stansfield should get the nod.