The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 2-1 FA Cup third round win over third tier side Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday, while Preston were thrashed 4-0 by Norwich City in a league-match, last Saturday.
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Birmingham City will host Preston North End in an EFL Championship fixture at St. Andrew’s on Saturday evening. The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 2-1 FA Cup third round win over third tier side Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday, while Preston were thrashed 4-0 by Norwich City in a league-match, last Saturday. The Blues are currently languishing at the 18th spot in the English second tier standings, having collected 32 points from 27 games, six clear of the relegation zone. The visitors, meanwhile, are sitting five places above Birmingham, with 37 points to their name, four adrift of the playoffs.
🎟️ 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
🌐 https://t.co/OKRB2Ilr3b until 1pm
📞 In person and by phone until 5pm
💷 Cash-only pay on the day#pnefc— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) January 20, 2023
Birmingham came from behind to get the better of League One outfit Forest Green in the mid-week. Ben Stevenson put the Green ahead inside the opening eight minutes, before Lukas Jutkiewicz leveled the score five minutes into the second half. And then, Kevin Long scored the winner for the Blues, in the 65th-minute. John Eustace’s side will play Blackburn Rovers in the fourth round of the FA Cup later this month. Meanwhile, when it comes to the Championship, John Eustace’s side are going through a tough patch, having lost their last four games. Their most recent league-defeat came against Bristol City (4-2) last Saturday, despite the fact that Troy Deeney and Reda Khadra got on the scoresheet.
Preston, on the other hand, also managed to reach the fourth round of the FA cup after defeating Huddersfield Town 3-1 on January 7. But, after that, the Lilywhites suffered a humiliating loss to Norwich City in the second tier, courtesy of a brace each from Teemu Pukki and Kieran Dowell. It was Preston’s 10th league-defeat of the season, while they have also recorded as many wins. Preston’s latest Championship-win came against Stoke City on January 2, courtesy of Ched Evans’ lone goal three minutes into injury time. The Lilywhites have been expert travellers so far this season, collecting 24 points from 13 outings.
Khadra and Deeny are likely to form the attacking-duo for Birmingham, with Colin and Graham occupying the flanks. Meanwhile, Marc Roberts, Harlee Dean and Jobe Bellingham are sidelined with injuries. As for Preston, striker Sean Maguire is set to return after recovering from an injury, while Emil Riis Jakobsen is occupying the medical room with a cruciate ligament tear.
Birmingham City Probable line-up: Ruddy, Sanderson, Long, Trusty, Colin, Bielik, Hannibal, Chong, Graham, Khadra, Deeney
Preston North End probable line-up: Woodman, Diaby, Story, Lindsay, Fernandez, Browne, Ledson, Johnson, Hughes, Delap, Parrott
Birmingham City
| Opponents | Score |
| Forest Green | 1-2 (W) |
| Bristol City | 4-2 (L) |
| Middlesbrough | 1-3 (L) |
| Hull City | 0-1 (L) |
| Burnley | 3-0 (L) |
Preston North End
| Opponents | Score |
| Norwich City | 0-2 (L) |
| Huddersfield | 3-1 (W) |
| Stoke City | 0-1 (W) |
| West Brom | 2-0 (L) |
| Huddersfield | 1-2 (L) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Birmingham beat Preston | 0-1 |
| Preston draw Birmingham | 1-1 |
| Birmingham draw Preston | 0-0 |
| Preston beat Birmingham | 0-1 |
| Birmingham beat Preston | 1-2 |
The EFL Championship match between Birmingham City and Preston North End will take place at St Andrew’s on Saturday at 8:30 pm IST.
| Birmingham vs Preston | Key Details |
| Date | January 21 |
| Venue | St Andrew’s |
| Kickoff time in UK | 3:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 8:30 pm |
The live telecast of the EFL Championship match between Birmingham City and Preston North End can be seen on beIN Sports, Star +, Kayo Sports, DAZN, ESPN + and Viaplay.
