John Eustace makes big Scott Hogan call - Birmingham City predicted XI gallery vs Reading

Our predicted Birmingham City starting lineup for Friday evening’s Sky Bet Championship clash against Reading.

Birmingham City take on Reading on Friday evening as they return to St Andrew’s for competitive action for the first time since the start of November. Blues had their first game back last weekend as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Blackpool after a four-week break for the World Cup.

Before the competition got underway over in Qatar, Birmingham went on a decent run of form with four wins and three draws in nine games. This period did end with a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland but John Eustace’s side were rather hard done by with a heavily congested fixture schedule.

Friday’s opponents are exceeding expectations this season as they are currently just two points outside of the playoff spots, in 8th position. The Royals struggled at the end of October and start of November with three defeats and a draw, but they have since bounced back with two victories.

Last weekend they beat Coventry by one goal to nil and five weeks ago they managed a 2-1 win away at Hull City. Paul Ince’s side are by no means an easy opposition and Eustace will be very aware. With that in mind, here is the near-full-strength starting XI we predict the Blues boss to go with, in a 3-5-2 formation.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.