Birmingham City return to St Andrew’s on Saturday afternoon as they face Blackpool in the penultimate home game of the season. The shackles are off for Blues after they mathematically confirmed their Championship status for another season with a 1-0 win at Millwall midweek.
John Eustace is delighted with his team’s work up until this point but is adamant the fight is not over yet, with three important games to go. Now up to 53 points, it’s the highest total Birmingham have reached since 2017 and the optimism is to go even further with a respectable league finish.
This weekend’s opponents are in a dire position down in 23rd, six points adrift from safety. With just one win in their last five, only Queens Park Rangers and Reading have fared worse than Blackpool of late. The Tangerines must win to keep their survival hopes alive, though, meaning it could be a difficult clash for Blues nonetheless.
Birmingham have a few injury concerns this weekend, with John Ruddy ruled out and both Scott Hogan and Lukas Jutkiewicz doubts. Troy Deeney could return after coming back into full training at the start of the week, but the same cannot be said for George Hall as the youngster is still sidelined.
With all that in mind, here is the starting XI we think Eustace will go with on Saturday.
1. Birmingham City predicted starting lineup vs Blackpool
Here are the 11 players we think Eustace will choose on Saturday.
2. GK - Neil Etheridge
Replaces John Ruddy, who is out for a couple of weeks with a thigh strain. Etheridge did a brilliant job at Millwall off the bench.
3. RB - Maxime Colin
Continues his long run of games in the side. Battles hard at right back and can run for England – or rather France.
4. CB - Marc Roberts
Been one of the best players in the side over the last few weeks. So brave in central defence to make crucial interventions.