These two sides had contrasting endings to the 2019/20 season, with Birmingham City ending on a low, losing five of their last six league games, whereas Rotherham United only lost one of their last six EFL League One games, leading to a second place finish. 

Both teams failed to win in their last Championship fixture, with Birmingham drawing 0-0 away at Swansea City and Rotherham losing 1-0 at home against Millwall.

Managers thoughts

Both managers will be looking to grab their second league win of the season and Birmingham head coach, Aitor Karanka believes that Rotherham’s visit will be the toughest game yet. "I am expecting the toughest game so far, they are a good side, they are a team which plays at a high intensity every game. We need to keep the same intensity we have shown against Brentford and Swansea and take that into the weekend. This game will be tough."

Birmingham have made more additions to his side this week, with former Athletic Bilbao and Spain international, Mikel San José joining the club on a free transfer. When speaking about his arrival, Karanka said:

”Mikel is the kind of player who everyone knows about him. He has played in Athletic Bilbao and is a very good player who is going to bring us experience, he’s a very good person.’’

Rotherham boss Paul Warne believes that Birmingham will prove to be a tough opposition, he said:

“Every game in this league is tough, everyone we play asks us different questions. It will be a big test for us, I really like Lukas Jutkiewicz up top, he is a massive handful, reliable and works really hard. I’m well aware of their strengths and it will be a tough game for us. Karanka’s teams are set up not to concede and they don’t get many goals against them. They limit you to very few chances, so we’re going to have to be very clinical and patient in front of goal. He’s got a lot of experience in his team who know how to get results.”

Team News

Birmingham City have no new injury concerns with Josh McEachran and Jonathan Leko still out, whereas Richard Wood returns to full fitness for Rotherham, but are still without Trevor Clarke, Clark Robertson and Curtis Tilt.

Predicted lineups

Birmingham City: Etheridge, Pedersen, Friend, Dean, Colin, Clayton, Sunjic, Bela, Toral, Sánchez, Jutkiewicz.

Rotherham United: Blackman, Mattock, Ihiekwe, A.MacDonald, Harding, Ogbene, S.MacDonald, Lindsay, Sadlier, Ladapo, Smith.

Ones to watch

Birmingham City

Jon Toral: The Spaniard has settled in well since his return to the club last month after a four year spell away. Toral has showed signs of creativity and technical ability in order to bridge the gap between midfield and attack, a quality that was missing from the Birmingham squad last season. Toral grabbed headlines in Birmingham’s last game against Swansea, with the Swans assistant coach, Alan Tate pushing and grabbing Toral around the neck during the half-time interval, prompting a response from the Birmingham bench. Tate was later charged by the FA for his actions.

Rotherham United

Michael Smith: The experienced striker always proves to be a handful for opposition defences, and Smith will be looking to score against a team who leaked several goals towards the end of last season. The tall striker provides a threat in the air for the Millers, and Smith will be looking to make his 102nd appearance for the club, scoring 23 goals in that time.

Previous Meetings

Birmingham have an impressive recent record against Rotherham, winning in three of their last five meetings. The most recent meeting saw the Blues win 3-1 away from home in 2019, ensuring Birmingham’s EFL Championship survival after a hefty nine point deduction. The same result also sunk Rotherham further towards the drop zone and were subsequently relegated to EFL League One.

Where to Watch on TV

The game is available on both clubs ‘iFollow’ accounts on Saturday at 3pm.

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