Birmingham City earned themselves a crucial victory last time out, beating fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers 1-0 at Loftus Road courtesy of a third-minute strike from Tahith Chong.

This was Chong's fourth goal of the season, but the focus remained on the defence. A makeshift backline secured a much-needed clean sheet, with Marc Roberts playing well in just his sixth start of the season. This result lifted John Eustace's Blues up to 17th, sinking Gareth Ainsworth's Hoops deeper into the relegation mire. 

Blackburn Rovers featured in FA Cup action just before the international break, losing 3-2 in the all-Championship quarter-final clash with Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Ben Brereton Díaz and Sammie Szmodics scored for Rovers, with head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson now looking for a response to cement their place in the playoffs. 

  • Team news

Auston Trusty and Jordan James made their first senior appearances for the United States and Wales, whilst international regulars Hannibal Mejbri and Juninho Bacuna also return from time away with their countries. All four players are certainties to feature, but this could be from the bench.

Troy Deeney and Dion Sanderson remain absent for Blues, facing lengthy spells out with injury. 

Blackburn could be without star man Ben Brereton Díaz, with the Chilean labelled as 'doubtful' by Tomasson after returning home with a knock. Partnered with a long flight from Santiago, these factors may mean the striker has to start proceedings on the bench.

Bradley Dack and Daniel Ayala are out of action until later this month, as youngster Harvey Vale remains sidelined with an ankle injury. 

  •  Predicted lineups

Birmingham City (4-4-2)

Ruddy, Trusty, Roberts, Long, Colin, Khadra, Bacuna, Bielik, Chong, Jutkiewicz, Hall

Blackburn Rovers (4-2-3-1)

Pears, Rankin-Costello, Carter, Hyam, Pickering, Travis, Morton, Thomas, Szmodics, Dolan, Gallagher

  • Ones to watch

Birmingham City - Reda Khadra

The German winger has flourished since joining on loan from Brighton in January. Adding a fresh dynamic to the attacking fold, Khadra has an excellent sense of balance, physically strong, regardless of his stature.

Minutes were limited for Khadra at the start of the season, playing for Sheffield United, a team full of attacking talent. It looks like Khadra has found the right home for him, already scoring more goals in two months at Birmingham than at Sheffield. More minutes are also available, so the attacker gets plenty of opportunities to shine.

Blackburn would've already earmarked Khadra as the danger man, having played for Rovers last season, even scoring against them for Blues in the 2-2 FA Cup tie at Ewood Park in January.

Blackburn Rovers - Sam Gallagher​​​​​​​

The former Birmingham striker will look to be the man that spearheads his team to victory on Saturday.

Rovers will rely on Gallagher to contribute to the scoring, deputising for a potentially injured Brereton Díaz. Posing a physical presence up top, the striker will look to ruffle a few feathers, returning to St Andrew's to make his mark. Gallagher will look to continue his decent Championship form, grabbing three goals and one assist in his last four games.

The striker scored in Blackburn's 2-1 victory over Birmingham last season, and he will look to do the same for his side on Saturday in pursuit of the playoffs. ​​​​​​​

  • Previous meetings

Birmingham and Blackburn have already met three times this season, having played each other once in the league and twice in the FA Cup.

Birmingham have failed to win any of these contests, with Blackburn winning two and drawing one. The latest meeting occurred in a Fourth Round replay, when Blackburn beat Birmingham 1-0 through an own goal from Auston Trusty in extra-time. 
 

  • Match details

Where is the game being played?

The game is being played at St Andrew's, home of Birmingham City.

What time is kick-off?

The game will kick off at 15:00 BST and the match referee will be Andy Davies.

How can I watch?

Unfortunately, the game is not available to watch in the UK.

Fans worldwide can listen to the game via club websites. For international fans, pay-per-view is available to purchase on BluesTV for £10. Match highlights will be available shortly after the full-time whistle.