Wayne Rooney’s Birmingham City host Stoke City on Boxing Day, with both sides in need of a victory. However, the last meeting between the two sides ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
Birmingham
Since Rooney’s appointment, Birmingham have won two of their last 12 matches with the ex-Manchester United star at the helm. Overall, the Blues are 18th in the Championship, having won seven of their 23 games. They’ve had issues at both ends of the field, scoring 29 and conceding 35.
Last time out, Birmingham travelled to Plymouth, where they drew 3-3. Juninho Bacuna had a hand in each goal, but a red card to Krystian Bielik changed the tie.
Stoke
The Potters have also struggled this season, and they’re without a win in nine matches. After 23 matches, they sit in 19th with 24 points. Their biggest issue is in the final third, and Stoke are the fourth-lowest scoring team in the league, 21. However, they’re not terrible at the back, conceding just 1.3 goals per game on average.
They’ve appointed Steven Schumacher of Plymouth recently, and his first game in charge was a 0-0 home draw to Millwall. Stoke deserved to win, with the visitors only having two attempts.
Verdict?
Birmingham are much stronger at home than they are on the road, winning five of their 11 matches. Stoke are poor on their travels, winning twice in 11 attempts.
The final prediction is Birmingham 1-1 Stoke.
