Birmingham vs Reading Predictions

• Birmingham have posted higher xG numbers than their opponents in each of their last three league games.
• Reading have lost four of their last six Championship away games
• Birmingham have kept clean sheets in four of their last seven home league contests.

Birmingham have fun on Friday nights

Birmingham City have the requisite qualities and strength to dent Reading’s promotion hopes by delivering a home win this weekend.

The Blues, who will move above the Royals in the table if they pick up all three points, are getting used to playing on Friday night under the lights of St Andrew’s. John Eustace’s side beat QPR 2-0 on a Friday at the end of October and were unlucky to lose 2-1 at home to Sunderland in a similar clash just before the break for the World Cup began.

Birmingham had the better of a 0-0 draw at Blackpool last weekend when Tahith Chong struck the woodwork and Maxime Colin also had a goal disallowed for offside. They remain defensively robust, having conceded only nine goals in their last 13, and are rarely beaten on set-pieces.

Blues equipped to deal with Royals’ set-play strength

Reading scored from a corner routine against Coventry, but Royals boss Paul Ince admitted after the 1-0 home win that his side rode their luck. The visitors bring a poor away record into this game – losing four of their last six on the road – and cannot count on getting the same joy on set-pieces against the Blues.

It could be quite a tight game on Friday, particularly given neither side conceded on their return to Championship action last Saturday. Birmingham have kept clean sheets in four of their last seven home league contests while the Royals have failed to notch in two of their last three away games.

But the Blues have not scored more than twice in any of their last five at St Andrew’s while Reading have shipped two goals in exactly half of their last six road games, hence the 2-0 correct score prediction.