Coventry City and Birmingham City meet at St Andrew’s Trillion Trophy Stadium, in a match for the 12th round of the Championship. In the last 3 years there has only been a record of 2 head-to-head matches between these two teams: one on 04‑02‑2020, which ended in a victory for Birmingham City by (4‑1) in the shoot-off on penalties, and a more recent one in 25-01-2020, which ended in a draw by (0-0). Birmingham City has considerable differences in their results at home and away, so in this game the home factor may be decisive.
Coventry :
The home team is currently in 21st position, with 8 points won, after 2 wins, 2 draws and 7 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost in an away match against Nottingham Forest by (2‑1). In the last match, they lost in an away match against Watford by (3‑2). This is a team that presents similar results at home and abroad, so it is not usually affected by the home factor, since in the last 30 games it has recorded 6 wins, 2 draws and 7 losses as a visitor; against 7 wins, 6 draws and 2 losses in his stadium. For the championship, Coventry City won 7 points out of 15 possible, after 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses in the last 5 games they played at their stadium. The team allowed goals to the opponent in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition, so they have not been very strong defensively. This is a team that scores few times in the first place and that only managed to open the scoring in 2 of its last 11 games for the Championship, of these 2 it reached the break in 1 and won at the end of the 90 ‘in 1. In 11 games in this competition, he only got 1 comeback in the 8 games in which he suffered the first goal.
Coventry City come to this match after a 3×2 loss at Watford’s stadium visit, adding their second consecutive defeat in the English second division: the team’s goals were scored by Gustavo Hamer and Tyler Walker. Coach Mark Robins is expected to maintain his usual 3-5-2 tactical scheme, with Callum O’Hare as the team’s master – this player is very competent in creating and organizing the offensive process. Matt Godden is Coventry City’s top scorer, with four goals. For this game the local coach cannot count on Jordan Shipley, Fankaty Dabo, Wesley Jobello and Jodi Jones, all with physical problems.
Birmingham:
The visiting team is currently in 17th position, with 13 points won, after 3 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost at home to Wycombe Wanderers by (1‑2). In the last match, they lost at home to AFC Bournemouth by (1‑3). This is a team that curiously tends to achieve more positive results as a visitor than at home, since in the last 30 games they have registered 3 victories, 6 draws and 6 losses as a visitor, with 9 goals scored and 13 suffered; against 3 victories, 4 draws and 8 defeats in his stadium, with 17 goals scored and 26 suffered. For the championship, Birmingham City won 6 points out of a possible 15, after 1 win, 3 draws and 1 loss in the last 5 away games. The team allowed goals to the opponent in 8 of the last 10 matches for this competition, so they were not very strong defensively. In 11 games in this tournament, he suffered the first goal 4 times and never got the comeback. In the last 20 home matches for all competitions there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 8 of their 19 goals between minutes (76’ ‑ 90 ‘).
Birmingham City come into this game after a 1×3 home loss to Bournemouth, adding their second consecutive loss in this competition: the team’s only goal was scored by Scott Hogan. Coach Aitor Karanka usually plays 3-5-2, favoring possession and organized attacks, especially through the flanks. It is important to highlight the importance of Jérémie Bela in Birmingham City’s tactical scheme: this player is one of the team’s top scorers, with 2 goals. The entire squad is available for this match.
