The Blues have every reason to be confident after beating Bristol City 2-1 for their first away win since October 30. They currently sit 18th in the league standings, three points ahead of their next opponents, Hull City. 

The visiting Tigers fell to defeat against former manager, Steve Bruce and his out of form West Bromwich Albion side. Shota Arveladze’s team are currently ranked 20th in the Championship table, 13 points away from relegation.  

Team news 

Birmingham City 

 

Lee Bowyer will be pleased to have his attacking options back, as top goal scorer Scott Hogan is regaining his fitness. Hogan came on in the 86th minute in their narrow win at Ashton Gate last week. The English striker is Birmingham City's top goal scorer this season, with 10 league goals to his name. 

Striker Lyle Taylor has also recently shaken off an injury and played a part in Birmingham’s win at Bristol City. The 31-year-old joined on loan from Nottingham Forest in the January transfer window. 

Defender Marc Roberts put in a convincing display as he returned to action last Saturday. His aerial prowess proved vital to help see out the win. 

 

Teden Mengi is also available for selection after Birmingham announced it on their social media platforms. 

Hull City 

 

Tom Eaves and Marcus Forss have shrugged off injuries over the passing weeks, putting pressure on current starters, Tyler Smith and Keane Lewis-Potter. Brentford loanee Forss is yet to stamp his authority in Yorkshire since arriving on loan in January having scored just once in six games. 

Goalkeeper Matt Ingram looks to remain between the sticks because Nathan Baxter is still deemed to be unfit.  

Former Fleetwood Town defender Lewie Coyle is set to miss Saturday’s clash having picked up a knock against Sheffield United. Coyle was carried off midway through a 0-0 stalemate against the Blades in February. 

Predicted lineups

Birmingham City (5-3-2)  

Etheridge, Hernandez, Pedersen, Roberts, Gordon, Graham, Bacuna, Sunjic, Gardner, Chong, Taylor. 

Hull City (3-4-2-1) 

Ingram, Jones, McLoughlin, Greaves, Slater, Smallwood, Docherty, Fleming, Honeyman, Lewis-Potter, Smith. 

Form guide 

Birmingham City - WDLLW 

The Blues have won two of their last five Championship games. A staggering 3-0 win over play off chasing Luton Town was followed up with one point out of a possible nine. The point came in a 2-2 draw with Stoke City before defeats to Reading and Huddersfield Town.  

Their result against Bristol City will have alarm bells ringing for the Hull City backline. Two early goals from Tahith Chong and Nico Gordon stunned the Robins. Alex Scott’s second half goal was not enough to inspire a comeback for Bristol City.  

Hull City - DDLWL 

Since Acun Ilicali invested in the Tigers, the squad has not been able to find consistent form. Shota Arveladze is still in the process of getting to know the players whilst Hull have won just one of their last five games in the league.  

A 3-0 win against Peterborough United was enough to shrug of the embarrassing defeat against Barnsley. The Tigers then resorted back to their poor performances, which cost them three points at home to West Bromwich Albion.   

Arveladze’s side also picked up draws against play off chasing Sheffield United and

Queens Park Rangers in February.  

Ones to watch 

Lyle Taylor 


The Montserrat international has took to life in Birmingham. The former Charlton Athletic striker has found the net three times in just seven appearances for the Blues. Having just returned from injury, Taylor will look to reinvigorate his early form for the end of the season run in.  

Taylor scored on his debut away at Derby County as well as doubling his tally the game after, against AFC Bournemouth. The London born striker also shone in the dismantlement of Luton Town, where he scored as well as registered an assist.  

Hull City are yet to face Taylor this season. The January signing sat on the bench for Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 win over the Tigers back in December.  

 

Keane Lewis-Potter

The 21-year-old has scored nine goals so far this season, eight of which have come in the Championship. Lewis-Potter has, however, found form hard to come by, as he is yet to score in successive games in the league this season. But having played in all 36 league games so far, the fan favourite will be looking to add to his goals tally at St Andrews.  

The highly rated youngster scored twice against Peterborough two weeks ago. The recoveries of Tom Eaves and Marcus Forss will mean there is competition for the attacking roles. Lewis-Potter will look to cement his spot in the side with a strong showing at Birmingham City.  

The attacker is a manager’s dream with his versatility; he has played on both wings as well as through the middle for the Tigers this year. He played on the right wing as he registered an assist against Birmingham City earlier in the season.  

Previous meetings 

The Blues have a marginal lead over the Tigers in head-to-head games. Since the first fixture in 1908, Birmingham  have been victors 26 times. Whereas Hull have got the better of Birmingham on 23 occasions. The two sides being evenly matched can be evidenced by the 19 draws that have come as a result of this fixture. 

The hosts for Saturday's game have failed to beat Hull since March 2018, where a brace from the Spaniard, Jota, and a goal from Che Adams sealed the three points.  

The last five meetings have featured many goals; there have been two 3-3 results in that time. Hull have scored at least twice against the Blues since 2018. 

The last meeting between the two teams fell in favour of Hull City. There were 12409 people in attendance as the Tigers clawed out of the bottom three with a 2-0 win against Birmingham in November.  

George Honeyman’s controversial goal put the hosts in front after the ball appeared to go out of play in the build-up. Gary Gardner made the task more difficult for the visitors due to his dangerous challenge on Greg Docherty, which was sanctioned with a red card. 

The tension rose as Gardner allegedly head-butted Josh Magennis during the uproar of the sending off. Mallik Wilkes punished the ten-men Birmingham team by heading home Lewis-Potter's cross for the three points.  

How to watch 

Kick-off is at 15:00 GMT on Saturday, March 12. Fans outside of the UK and Ireland can purchase a match pass from either club website to watch the game live.

Highlights of the match will be available the following day on each clubs' social media platforms.