New Shrewsbury Town boss Michael Appleton looks to replicate the result of his predecessor Gareth Ainsworth against Birmingham City when he travels to St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.
League One
Our Three Predictions For Birmingham City vs Shrewsbury Town:
- First Prediction For Birmingham City vs Shrewsbury Town: Match Result – Birmingham City – 9/50
- Second Prediction For Birmingham City vs Shrewsbury Town: Over 2.5 Goals – 33/50
- Third Prediction For Birmingham City vs Shrewsbury Town: Both Teams To Score – No – 2/5
First Prediction For Birmingham City vs Shrewsbury Town: Match Result – Birmingham City – 9/50
The Blues will have their eyes set on revenge tomorrow afternoon. Shrewsbury have only won seven times all season, with Birmingham losing just three league outings, and yet Gareth Ainsworth’s first game in charge after the November international break saw Salop edge a five-goal thriller. Not much has changed since then in terms of the standings, with Birmingham leapfrogging Wycombe into top spot, losing only once since. Shrewsbury have once again changed manager during an international break, with Ainsworth leaving for Gillingham and Michael Appleton arriving in Shropshire until the end of the season. That win in the reverse fixture saw the Shrews move off the bottom of League One, but they are back as the basement side in the division ahead of this encounter. These two will almost certainly be two divisions apart next year, and the gulf in quality on the pitch should be enough for a comfortable home victory.
Second Prediction For Birmingham City vs Shrewsbury Town: Over 2.5 Goals – 33/50
The Blues remain the only unbeaten home side in the division, winning a staggering sixteen of their nineteen games in the West Midlands. Their tally of 33 goals is the fourth-best in League One, and Birmingham have won their last eight games in a row on home soil, keeping clean sheets in five of their previous six league games at home. On the contrary, Shrewsbury has the worst away record in the third tier, sitting rock bottom for wins (2) and points (10). They have outscored four sides on their travels, while only three have conceded more away from home this term. A comprehensive home victory with at least three Birmingham goals feels likely.
Third Prediction For Birmingham City vs Shrewsbury Town: Both Teams To Score – No – 2/5
Focusing on the Blues’ defensive record, no third-tier side have conceded fewer than their 24, while at home that figure is just eight. Stevenage are the only side since the start of February to breach the Blues defence in a League One fixture, coming in their last outing at St. Andrew’s Stadium. Only Wigan have netted fewer times this term than the Shrews 34, and they are currently three games without a goal since scoring in the defeat to Peterborough. It therefore feels safe to say that goals for the away side in this encounter will be very difficult to come by.
Best Odds For Birmingham City vs Shrewsbury Town
| Bookmaker | Birmingham City | Draw | Shrewsbury Town |
| MyriadPlay | 9/50 | 9/2 | 11/1 |
| Gentleman Jim | 2/11 | 19/4 | 14/1 |
| Betarno | 19/100 | 9/2 | 11/1 |
The table above shows the latest odds from leading football betting websites.
Full Preview Of The Game: Last Results And Head-To-Head:
Birmingham City are heading towards the League One title at ease, despite dropping points in their last game before the international break. The Blues hold a nine-point advantage at the top of the division, standing twelve clear of third-place Wrexham with at least a game in hand on the two sides directly below them. Northampton, like the reverse game, took a point against the side from the West Midlands two weeks ago.
Three single-goal victories have set the final set of fixtures up perfectly, as Chris Davies targets a return to the Championship in his first year as a manager. After opening March with a massive win over Wycombe, putting one hand on the title, Bolton gave the Blues a reality check in midweek by defeating them by three goals to one. But they quickly responded with home wins against Lincoln and Stevenage before dropping points at the Cobblers.
Shrewsbury have been rocked by the departure of Gareth Ainsworth this week, but they were already preparing for League Two next season. They will lock horns with their new manager in 25/26, who has joined Gillingham immediately, despite the best efforts from Salop to hold onto him until the end of the year. The Shrews are a huge fourteen points adrift from safety and are eight games without a win.
Consecutive victories at the start of February raised hopes of remaining a third-tier side next term, which was followed by an excellent point at Reading. But their final three fixtures last month ended in narrow defeats, losing a five-goal thriller against Bolton before back-to-back one-nil home reverses to Huddersfield and Stevenage. A result was desperately needed against Peterborough, but Posh continued their resurgence following John Marquis’ first-minute red card. Further losses to Exeter and Burton without scoring have plunged the Shrews closer to the trap door.
The Blues have a run of eleven games in 36 days to end their League One journey. Chris Davies’s side are in Bristol on Tuesday evening to face the Gas before hosting Barnsley next weekend. Two games against Peterborough follow, the latter being the EFL Trophy Final in two weeks. After relegation-threatened Crawley and Burton are on the agenda over the Easter Weekend, they finish a hectic April with three games in six days against Stevenage, Mansfield and Blackpool. A final-day title celebration at Cambridge awaits.
Appleton has nine games in charge before the season is out, and it doesn’t get any easier with another tough trip to Wycombe on Tuesday. On paper at least, their remaining fixtures appear easier, with encounters against the two sides directly above them, Cambridge and Crawley. Home games against Reading and Wigan, along with trips to Lincoln, Northampton and Barnsley take up the final weeks of their campaign.
This is the third time the sides have locked horns this term, with three different managers in the Shrewsbury dugout. Along with Ainsworth, Paul Hurst was in charge when the Blues swept them aside in the EFL Trophy back in October. In Appleton’s first game, he will be hoping to join Reading and Northampton as the only sides to take points off Birmingham in both league games this season. The Blues may have improved their head-to-head record by winning five of the past six encounters against Shrewsbury, but they still trail Salop by three victories overall.
Confrontation29/03/2025 League One League One 
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Shrewsbury Town 4 1 23/11/2024 League One League One
Shrewsbury Town
Birmingham City 3 2 08/10/2024 EFL Trophy EFL Trophy
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Birmingham City 0 2 Last Results - Birmingham
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Where To Watch Birmingham City vs Shrewsbury Town:
Where can I watch the game, either on TV or in person?
- Location: St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, Birmingham
- Date: 29th March, 2025
- TV Channel: This game is not scheduled for TV broadcast.
Probable Lineups For Birmingham City vs Shrewsbury Town:
Predicted Birmingham City Lineup:
- Lineup: Allsop, Sampsted, Klarer, Davies, Cochrane, Iwata, Leonard, Anderson, Dowell, Hansson, Stansfield
- Suspended/Injured: Buchanan, Seung-ho, Laird, Gardner-Hickman, Wright, Dykes,
- Coach: Chris Davies
Predicted Shrewsbury Town Lineup:
- Lineup: Blackman, Benning, Pierre, Feeney, Hoole, Gilliead, Gape, Shipley, Ojo, Wheeler, Oliver
- Suspended/Injured: N/A
- Coach: Michael Appleton
