Birmingham City have a better chance of being relegated down to League One at the end of the campaign than staying in the Championship, according to Opta’s latest figures.
The Blues ended a horrific ten-match winless streak two weeks ago with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Coventry City. This win gave the West Midlands outfit a huge opportunity to put some momentum together ahead of the final weeks of the season, with a trip to already-relegated Rotherham United next up for the club.
However, the Millers were boosted by the return of Steve Evans to the dugout following Leam Richardson’s immediate exit on Monday afternoon. In Evans’ first game back at the New York Stadium, his side battled hard to earn a goalless draw – a “workman-like performance”, in his own words.
It was a solid result for Rotherham who are already relegated, but a devastating point for Birmingham City who dropped into the relegation zone after Sheffield Wednesday sealed a huge 3-1 victory at Ewood Park on Sunday.
Now, Gary Rowett’s men potentially need to pick up at least four points from their next two matches – away at Huddersfield Town and at home to Norwich City on the final day – to avoid the drop, which is becoming an increasingly unlikely task.
As things stand, Birmingham have a slightly better chance of being relegated when the season ends at 53.6% compared to the 46.4% chance that the Blues remain in England’s second tier, as per Opta’s latest projections. Only Huddersfield and, of course, Rotherham have a lower prospect of avoiding the drop.
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Writer’s View
This Saturday’s fixture at the John Smith’s Stadium could be a potential season-ender for Birmingham City as it could leave them second from bottom before they host the Canaries on the final day of the season.
Nevertheless, the one positive for Rowett’s men is that Sheffield Wednesday also have some difficult fixtures left against West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland should they manage to get a victory in West Yorkshire this weekend.
