Birmingham City will face managerless Watford at St Andrew’s in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday (March 16), hoping to end their poor trend.
Blues have yet to win under interim manager Mark Venus, who replaces Tony Mowbray during his absence. Birmingham lost 1-0 to Middlesbrough on Tuesday, with former loanee Riley McGree scoring the game’s only goal.
Birmingham finished barely outside the relegation zone, one point above safety. Watford are still only two points behind the top half after only winning one of their last ten games. They fired Valérien Ismael and replaced him with Tom Cleverley, who was appointed interim manager.
A win for Birmingham may propel them to 17th place, while a loss could dump them into the relegation zone and as low as 23rd. Watford could go above Sunderland into 12th place with a win, or they might be passed by Swansea City and Millwall if they win.
Here is the most recent injury and team news ahead of kickoff against St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.
Birmingham City team news
Dion Sanderson is back in contention after serving a three-match suspension. After being red carded against Southampton, he filed an appeal, but the EFL denied it, forcing him to play another game. Birmingham earned one point out of a possible nine during Sanderson’s absence, but there is now hope that the club captain can use his leadership qualities to help the Blues get out of this difficult situation.
Krystian Bielik is missing due to injury. He has a torn stomach muscle and will be out until the international break. He, Ivan Sunjic, and Jay Stansfield were in risk of being suspended, but now that they’ve played 37 games, they can afford to pick up a booking.
Alfie Chang has been out of action since August due to a knee injury. Marc Roberts had to withdraw early on Tuesday and was replaced by Cody Drameh. He was hobbling for around 10 minutes and had just dealt with a calf problem.
Siriki Dembele missed the Middlesbrough defeat due to a foot ailment. It is unclear how long he will be out after needing stitches following a collision with an opponent.
Out: Alfie Chang and Krystian Bielik. Doubtful: Marc Roberts and Siriki Dembele.
Watford team news
Jeremy Ngakia missed Watford’s final game under Valérien Ismaël. He has been out of action for four months due to a knee injury sustained during his match against Millwall.
It was his first game since November, when he was sidelined with an ankle injury, and the knee injury will force him to miss the remainder of the season. The 23-year-old right-back has only played 14 games this season.
Ken Sema did not play against Coventry, and the Hornets are awaiting scan findings to assess him. He was forced out in the tie with Swansea City on Wednesday and, like Ngakia, has faced injury issues this season. The 30-year-old has played 29 games this season, with absences from September to October and December to the end of January.
Georgian international Giorgi Chakvetadze is a doubt after suffering an injury in the defeat to Coventry. He suffered what appeared to a knock to his ankle which caused bruising.
Centre-back Wesley Hoedt is absent through suspension. Watford’s captain picked up his tenth yellow card of the campaign and will serve a two-match ban.
Out: Jeremy Ngakia and Wesley Hoedt. Doubt: Giorgi Chakvetadze and Ken Sema.
