Blackburn Rovers host Birmingham City in an all-Championship clash in the FA Cup fourth round with both teams looking to return to their best form. Rovers have been slightly better lately and given their fine record in recent meetings with Birmingham, will be confident of claiming the upper hand on Saturday.
Blackburn Rovers have claimed just two wins from their last seven matches across all competitions. One of the wins in that run was a 1-0 victory at Norwich City in the previous round of the FA Cup.
Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men head into Saturday’s clash off the back of a 1-1 draw with Bristol City in a Championship fixture last Saturday. They were unable to hold on to Bradley Dack’s opener and were pegged back midway through the second half.
Blackburn Rovers recently ended a three-match losing run at home with a 1-0 victory over Cardiff City. Beyond that rough patch Ewood Park, they have been solid, claiming eight wins in their last 11 home matches across all competitions.
While Blackburn Rovers have undoubtedly struggled lately, Birmingham City are doing even worse than their hosts. They have claimed just one win from their last six matches across all competitions, a 2-1 victory over Forest Green Rovers in the previous round of the FA Cup.
Birmingham City have plenty of problems at the moment with a relegation scrap looming. They were also beaten 2-1 at home by Preston North End in a Championship fixture last Saturday, their fifth defeat in the last six matches across all competitions.
Aside from the win at Forest Green Rovers, Birmingham City have also found things difficult on their recent travels. John Eustace’s men have lost their last two matches against Championship teams, conceding seven goals in the process.
How the bookies view it
Blackburn Rovers are considered favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 29/20 by Coral. A victory for Birmingham City is valued at 5/2 with Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 23/10 by bet365.
Recent head to head
Blackburn Rovers have the upper hand in recent meetings with Birmingham City, winning the last five matches. They have already beaten Birmingham at Ewood Park this season, claiming a 2-1 victory in a Championship fixture back in October.
Players to watch
Although Blackburn Rovers have struggled for goals lately, Ben Brereton remains their biggest attacking threat. They will be relying on the striker to end his lengthy goal drought at 7/4 with bet365.
Scott Hogan has nine Championship goals this season and will be the one tasked with providing the attacking threat for Birmingham City. The striker was also on target in the last meeting at Ewood Park and is priced at 11/4 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City have struggled at the back lately and both teams could be backed to score at 19/20 by bet365. The last meeting produced over 2.5 goals which is priced at 5/4 by Coral while over 3.5 goals is valued at 3/1 with bet365.
Both teams have had a few late showings which means the second half could be tipped to produce the most goals at 6/5 with Paddy Power.
This FA Cup match between Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City will be played on Jan 28, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
