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Birmingham City will put their unbeaten Championship record on the line when they entertain Southampton at St Andrew's on Tuesday evening.
The Blues have collected five points from their opening three matches and currently occupy eighth place, while Southampton sit 18th despite picking up back-to-back victories.
With both sides arriving after impressive results at the weekend, there should be plenty of confidence on show as they look to build momentum early in the campaign.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Birmingham City vs. Southampton key stats
- Birmingham City have not lost a home Championship game since early April.
- There have been a total of 17 goals across Southampton's five competitive games this season.
- Southampton have scored three or more goals in three of their last four games against Birmingham City.
Birmingham City vs. Southampton preview: Championship heavyweights go head-to-head
Birmingham City vs Southampton — Tale of the Tape
| Birmingham City | vs | Southampton |
|---|---|---|
| 8th | Position | 18th |
| 5 | Points | 2 (Started season on -4 points) |
| 4 | Goals For | 9 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 4 |
| 1 | Clean Sheets | 0 |
| 13th/3rd | Home / Away Rank | 1st/20th |
Birmingham have made an encouraging start to life in the Championship, following two draws with a first league victory of the season against Wrexham on Friday.
The Blues finished 10th last term and narrowly missed out on the playoffs, but their ambitions appear far greater this time around after a busy summer in which they added Jhon Solis, Dael Fry, James Beadle, Luis Vazquez, Kristoffer Lund and Max Bird.
Those additions have helped offset the departures of several key figures, including Kai Wagner, Kyogo Furuhashi and Jonathan Panzo, as Chris Davies looks to assemble a squad capable of challenging near the top of the division.
Davies was particularly pleased with the response against Wrexham, with Phil Neumann scoring twice to secure a positive result against a team with similarly massive investment.
That result came just three days after Birmingham suffered a heavy 6-1 defeat to Brentford in the EFL Cup, making their ability to respond with a victory all the more pleasing for Davies.
The Blues will need to maintain that resilience against Southampton, particularly as they have failed to beat the Saints in their last six meetings.
In terms of team news, Demarai Gray's shoulder injury could see Patrick Roberts come into the side, with Neumann, Christoph Klarer, Solis and Tomoki Iwata all expected to retain their places.
Southampton, on the other hand, marked their start to the season with a 2-1 loss to Watford, but they have since responded emphatically by winning each of their last two league fixtures.
A 3-1 victory over Stoke City provided the first signs of a turnaround before the Saints produced an even more impressive result on Saturday, dismantling promotion hopefuls Millwall 5-1.
Tonda Eckert was understandably delighted with the performance, although the Southampton boss has warned that there is still more to come from his men.
The Saints will now be looking to build on their recent momentum and climb the table, with the visit to St Andrew's offering another opportunity to demonstrate that they are genuine promotion contenders.
Eckert could be forced into a change, however, after Flynn Downes picked up an injury against Millwall, potentially paving the way for James Ward-Prowse to make his first start since returning to Southampton, while Larin should continue up front alongside Scienza and Kuryu Matsuki.
Birmingham City vs. Southampton form guide & betting tips
| Birmingham City | vs | Southampton |
|---|---|---|
DDW |
Form | LWW |
| 5 | Points | 6 |
| 9th | Form Table | 5th |
| 4 | Goals For | 9 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 4 |
WDDLW |
Form (All Comps) | WLWLW |
Whispers predicts: Birmingham City 1-1 Southampton
The both teams to score market is the first bet that immediately springs to mind, given it has landed in four previous meetings between these teams.
As things stand, the bookmakers have priced this selection at 67/100. You will not be able to pay your mortgage off with that price, but it still makes for a solid addition if you are compiling a bet builder.
For a bit more value, you could back the draw in the outright market at around the 9/4 mark. It is worth noting that Birmingham have drawn two of their three Championship games this season.
If you are looking for a far bigger return, the correct score market is worth exploring, with the bookies pricing a 1-1 draw at a tasty price of 5/1.
This bet landed when these two teams met last December, with Southampton scoring a late equaliser at St Andrews.
> Both teams to score at 67/100 | Likelihood: Probable
> Match result draw at 9/4 | Likelihood: Probable
> Correct score 1-1 at 5/1 | Likelihood: Outsider