Birmingham City vs Bristol City Prediction: Birmingham were defeated by Stoke on boxing day

Birmingham City will welcome Bristol City at St. Andrew's Stadium in Game Week 25 of the English Championship. Birmingham will be looking to leave behind their boxing day defeat and work on their basics going into the next game. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Birmingham suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Stoke on Boxing Day, undoing the progress they had shown in previous matches against Cardiff City, Leicester City, and Plymouth Argyle. This loss marked Steven Schumacher's first win as the new head coach of Stoke, having previously worked with Plymouth Argyle. Despite their aspirations to play attacking and fearless football, Birmingham were outplayed by Stoke and could only manage a consolation goal from Jay Stansfield. Since taking over from John Eustace in October, Wayne Rooney has only accumulated nine points from 13 Championship games, the fewest of any team in the division from his first match on October 21. However, the team's decent start under Eustace and Queens Park Rangers' poor form means that Birmingham still have a seven-point cushion above the relegation zone. Nevertheless, the team cannot afford to wait for new signings in January to start picking up regular wins. One positive note from the game was the impressive performance of 17-year-old Romelle Donovan, who provided an assist for Stansfield's goal and may earn his first start in the Championship against Bristol City.

Ruddy; Aiwu, Roberts, Sanderson, Longelo; Sunjic, James, Bacuna; Donovan, Roberts, Stansfield

The supporters of Bristol City in the West Country will be delighted during the festive period as their team secured a 4-1 victory against Watford on Boxing Day, extending their winning streak to three matches. Cameron Pring scored his second goal in over 90 games to give Bristol City the lead, and Wesley Hoedt's own goal further increased their advantage. Although Giorgi Chakvetadze briefly reduced the deficit for Watford, Bristol City was able to widen the gap once again with goals from Mark Sykes and Andreas Weimann. Under new manager Liam Manning, Bristol City has achieved a record-breaking feat by winning three consecutive Championship matches for the first time since November 2020, defeating Sunderland, Hull City, and Watford. Despite not focusing too much on the league standings, Bristol City is now within reach of the top six, sitting only one point behind Black Cats. The previous three encounters between Bristol City and Birmingham City at St Andrew's have all ended in 3-0 scorelines, with Birmingham City winning the most recent match during the 2022-23 season.

O'Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring; Sykes, Gardner-Hickman, Williams, Mehmeti; Weimann, Conway

Since Rooney's appointment, Birmingham's defence has had the highest number of goals conceded in the Championship. Unfortunately, injuries prevent them from making immediate changes to their defensive line-up, making Friday's match a potential cause for concern for Birmingham fans. Bristol City will arrive at St Andrew's with a boost of confidence after their success at Vicarage Road. While we don't anticipate the scoreline to be as one-sided, we predict that Bristol City will emerge victorious once more.