Coventry City and Birmingham City return to Championship action on Friday night on the back of two successive defeats.
While the Sky Blues sit one point above the relegation zone, their opponents have dropped down to 17th position after losing at home to Wycombe Wanderers and Bournemouth.
Match preview
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Mark Robins will have taken heart from plenty of Coventry's displays this season, particularly during their 3-2 reverse at Watford before the international break.
However, four defeats from five games have left his side just one point above the drop zone and two ahead of bottom-placed Derby County, a scenario which has also not been helped by Sheffield Wednesday seeing their points deduction reduced from 12 to six.
That recent development could act as the catalyst when it comes to a number of sides at the lower end of the standings upping their performance levels, and Robins will be confident that that will occur with his team on Friday evening.
Half of their 12 league goals this season have been scored in their most recent three outings, with those strikes being shared among five players.
Nevertheless, Coventry have conceded 13 times in five matches, a record which must improve as soon as possible if they are to move back into the group of clubs directly above them.
As for Birmingham, Aitor Karanka and his squad will head to the away dressing room on Friday evening despite the game being held at their St Andrew's home.
Coventry, who are ground-sharing with Blues, have registered the same amount of home points as their landlords from one game fewer, highlighting Birmingham's inconsistencies this season.
When posting seven points from three matches against Queens Park Rangers, Huddersfield Town and Preston North End, they appeared to be over their uninspiring efforts earlier in the campaign.
Home setbacks against Wycombe and Bournemouth have lowered the mood around the club, however, and Karanka is under pressure to ensure that his team do not get pulled into a relegation battle.
On a more positive note, Birmingham will move into 12th spot in the table if they can return to winning ways ahead of the weekend's schedule.
Coventry City Championship form: DLLWLL
Birmingham City Championship form: LDWWLL
Team News
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Karanka may revert to using just one central forward, a move which would result in either Scott Hogan or Lukas Jutkiewicz dropping down to the substitutes' bench.
Jonathan Leko and Jeremie Bela are both pushing for a recall, while Caolan Boyd-Munce will hope to retain his place after making his first Championship start before the international break.
Barring any late fitness issues, Robins may opt against making any alterations to his Coventry XI.
Although Maxime Biamou has not scored in his last three starts, the Frenchman is expected to get the nod in attack.
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Marosi; Rose, Ostigard, Hyam; McCallum, Hamer, Sheaf, O'Hare, Giles; Walker, Biamou
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Etheridge; Roberts, San Jose, Dean; Colin, Gardner, Kieftenbeld, Boyd-Munce; Bela, Jutkiewicz, Leko
We say: Coventry City 1-1 Birmingham City
While both teams will view this game as a good opportunity to get maximum points on the board, they may prioritise avoiding defeat to get their campaign back on track. Although we are expecting a feisty affair to be played out at St Andrew's, goalmouth action could be lacking in the second city.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Coventry City win with a probability of 37.62%. A win for Birmingham City had a probability of 33.85% and a draw had a probability of 28.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Coventry City win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.08%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (7.81%) and 2-0 (7.1%). The likeliest Birmingham City win was 0-1 (11.3%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.28%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 10.3% likelihood.
