Still looking for their first points under the stewardship of Wayne Rooney, Birmingham City will welcome high-flying Ipswich Town to St Andrew's on Saturday afternoon in the Championship.
Blues' controversial decision to part ways with John Eustace has not paid dividends immediately after three successive defeats, whilst the Tractor Boys are on the path for back-to-back promotions.
Match preview
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Having lost his first two matches in charge at the Second City club against a resurgent Middlesbrough and Liam Rosenior's Hull City - without finding the net in either - one of the last places Rooney would have wanted to have taken his side last weekend would be St Mary's, the home of recently-relegated Southampton.
As expected by the vast majority of Bluenoses, Russell Martin's Saints required no invitation to take advantage of a Blues defence which has lost its solidity under the management of the Manchester United legend, with goals from Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Carlos Alcaraz putting the South Coast club into a commanding position after 22 minutes.
The Second City club arguably produced their best half of football under Rooney in the second period last time out as Jay Stansfield netted his fourth of the campaign off the bench, but Adam Armstrong's late strike ensured that Birmingham returned to the West Midlands empty-handed.
After three-straight defeats, Blues have dropped from sixth to 14th in the Championship standings since the shock sacking of Eustace during the international break, with sixth-placed Cardiff City now five points better off when compared to the club who are determined to play 'no fear' football.
Until the January transfer window arrives, it would be sensible for Birmingham to stick with a playing style that aligns with the ability of their current squad, meaning Rooney and his all-star coaching staff must get the best out of former Peterborough United winger Siriki Dembele and playmaker Koji Miyoshi.
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Following a sensational opening to the 2023-24 campaign, Ipswich witnessed their 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions come to a grinding halt on Wednesday evening, when Marco Silva's Fulham arrived at Portman Road and ultimately secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.
Kieran McKenna named a completely-different XI to the one which overcame Plymouth Argyle in the Championship last Saturday, and it did not take long for the Cottagers to display their Premier League quality, with Harry Wilson, Rodrigo Muniz and club captain Tom Cairney all finding the net for the visitors.
After finishing second in League One last term behind the aforementioned Green Army to secure automatic promotion, there were pre-season mumbles suggesting that the Tractor Boys could pose a threat at the summit of the second tier this season, but not even the most-optimistic East Anglian would have anticipated their team's blistering start.
Ipswich are currently sitting in second place in the Championship standings after collecting a remarkable 34 points from their opening 13 matches, with only three other sides in the division's history having managed a better start to a campaign than McKenna's exciting class of 2023-24.
The Tractor Boys have shared the goalscoring burden across their ranks in the opening months of the term, although former Wigan Athletic loanee Nathan Broadhead is thriving more than most in a team who are enjoying impeccable league form, with the 25-year-old Welshman netting six goals in 11 second-tier appearances.
Team News
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After being named as a substitute for the defeat at Southampton a week ago, right-back Ethan Laird has fully recovered from a hamstring injury and could play his first minutes since the away win at Bristol City in August.
Cody Drameh has been a capable deputy in Laird's absence, but the former Luton Town man will have to settle for a place on the bench as long as Rooney's preferred option is available.
Stansfield is expected to be reinstated back into the starting XI after showcasing his clinical finishing during a cameo at St Mary's, meaning veteran Lukas Jutkiewicz will drop out of the side.
Juninho Bacuna will be available for selection after he served a one-game ban for yellow card accumulation last time out, with fellow midfielder Krystian Bielik one caution away from a brief suspension.
Ipswich centre-back Elkan Baggott returned from a back injury to net a consolation during his side's loss to Fulham on Wednesday, but that may not be enough for the Indonesian to earn a place in a Championship defence just yet.
The Tractors Boys remain without the services of Welshman Wes Burns due to a shoulder issue that he picked up during the international break, with the winger being forced off after just 15 minutes in a friendly win over Gibraltar.
After well-earned rests in midweek, the key cogs in the Ipswich juggernaut will regain their spots in the XI at St Andrew's, with Omari Hutchinson, Conor Chaplin and George Hirst all set to play from the start in the Second City.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Laird, Sanderson, Aiwu, Longelo; Bielik, Sunjic, Bacuna; Miyoshi, Dembele, Stansfield
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Hladky; Williams, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Davis; Luongo, Morsy; Hutchinson, Chaplin, Broadhead; Hirst
We say: Birmingham City 1-2 Ipswich Town
Birmingham will take a slither of confidence from their second-half showing against Southampton, but the visit of promotion-chasing Ipswich is an unlikely occasion for Rooney to earn his maiden victory as Blues manager.
McKenna's side will be raring to go at St Andrew's after all of their key players were spared in midweek, and we are expecting the Tractor Boys to pile further pressure on the new Birmingham boss this weekend.
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