Birmingham vs Blackburn Rovers: Team News, H2H and predictions as Osayi eyes late top-six push

Good Friday brings one of the more intriguing Championship fixtures of the Easter weekend to St. Andrew’s, as Birmingham City host Blackburn Rovers, Afrik Foot reports.

For Bright Osayi-Samuel and his Birmingham teammates, it is a chance to salvage some pride from a season that has fallen well short of expectations, and to remind a growing number of doubters that there is still quality in this squad.

For Blackburn, three points are not just desirable, they are vital as they look to move further away from the relegation zone.

Match Preview: Birmingham City vs Blackburn Rovers

It has been a season of two halves for Birmingham City, and not in a good way. Following an impressive eight-match unbeaten run at the beginning of the year, Birmingham were confident of mounting a late play-off charge.

That optimism has since evaporated. A run of one win in six games has seen pressure mount on Chris Davies as Birmingham look set to fall short of the high expectations set by themselves this season.

They have only managed one victory since that positive sequence of results, a narrow 1-0 home triumph over QPR.

The 1-0 defeat in their most recent Championship encounter with Derby County was a particular low point, with Birmingham only able to muster three shots over the course of 90 minutes, none of which hit the target

Birmingham are 10th on the Championship table, and with the play-off places now ten points away, the ambitions that defined their pre-season outlook have been quietly set aside.

Rovers currently sit 19th in the Championship table, four points clear of the bottom three, and every game between now and the end of the season carries the weight of potential League One football.

Michael O’Neill’s side have done a good enough job at keeping their heads above water thus far, with a win and a draw against promotion-chasers Millwall and Middlesbrough before the international break.

Blackburn’s fight to retain their Championship status took a positive turn before the international break as Rovers ground out a goalless draw against second-placed Middlesbrough, and have lost just one of their last four.

But the mood around Ewood Park is far from comfortable, and the O’Neill situation has added an unusual layer of controversy to what is already a fraught run-in.

Head to Head: Birmingham vs Blackburn Rovers

The current head-to-head record between the two clubs stands at Birmingham City eight wins, Blackburn Rovers ten wins and ten draws

The reverse fixture earlier this season, played in August 2025, ended 2-1 to Birmingham, suggesting the Blues have the measure of their visitors when both sides are performing to their potential.

Blackburn have already won at St. Andrew’s this season in the FA Cup, though it took 120 minutes and an own goal to settle the tie.

Birmingham have only managed to keep one clean sheet since February’s goalless draw with West Brom, which points towards a game that could see both sides find the net if Rovers can be more attacking than their recent results suggest.

Team News

Birmingham City

Chris Davies is extremely short of options on the left-hand side of defence, as three of his full-backs remain on the treatment table.

Alex Cochrane sustained a serious ankle injury in early January, while Kai Wagner is nursing a shoulder issue, and Lee Buchanan remains out long-term, as per Birmingham Mail.

August Priske and Tommy Doyle are now back to full fitness after both players suffered a bout of illness before the international break.

Bright Osayi-Samuel, the Super Eagles right-back, is expected to be available after returning from international duty with Nigeria and will be pushing hard for a starting berth, having been in and out of the Birmingham backline this season.

Marvin Ducksch has scored ten goals in 31 Championship appearances this season and remains one of the main attacking threats for the Blues, having scored two goals in the last five games.

Jay Stansfield is also expected to feature prominently through the middle as one of the club’s leading scorers this term.

Predicted Birmingham XI (4-2-3-1): Toth; Laird, Klarer, Panzo, Osayi-Samuel; Iwata, Paik; Osman, Stansfield, Gray; Ducksch.

Blackburn Rovers

O’Neill has been done no favours on the injury front with Sondre Tronstad and Lewis Miller joining Ryan Hedges on the sidelines as long-term absentees.

Hayden Carter, Andri Gudjohnsen, Sondre Tronstad, Lewis Miller, Ryan Hedges, Augustus Kargbo, George Pratt and Matty Litherland are all unavailable through injury, as revealed by the Lancashire Telegraph.

It is hoped that Hedges can return in mid-April after suffering a broken leg on New Year’s Day, but he will not be rushed back into action.

Tom Atcheson, the young defender who featured in Northern Ireland’s international camp, is expected to be fit and available for Friday’s fixture.

The attacking options are limited, with Blackburn relying on their defensive organisation and set-piece threat to generate results rather than open, flowing football.

Predicted Blackburn Rovers XI (3-4-3): Toth; Atcheson, McLoughlin, Cashin; Alebiousu, Gardner-Hickman, Forshaw, Ribeiro; Morishita, Baradji, Jorgensen.

The Managers

Chris Davies carries the weight of a season that has not gone according to plan into what is becoming a defining run of fixtures.

The Welshman was appointed with genuine ambition, Birmingham expected to compete at the top end of the Championship in their first season back in the second tier, and for a period in January and February, it appeared the play-off push was on.

Winter attacking signings have shown flashes of why they were bought for significant fees, but there has not been anywhere near the link-up and chemistry required to be a success at this level.

Whether Davies has the time and trust of the board to see out the remainder of the campaign and plan for next season remains one of the more pressing questions hanging over St. Andrew’s.

Michael O’Neill’s situation at Blackburn is entirely unlike anything else in English football at this moment.

Appointed on February 13, 2026, on a job-share deal with the Irish FA lasting until the end of the season, O’Neill took to the dugout the following day in a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers.

The controversy over his dual role has dominated the build-up to the Easter weekend fixtures, with the EFL confirming they had been contacted by one or more clubs regarding concerns over a potential conflict of interest, though the league indicated that international selection falls under FIFA’s jurisdiction rather than their own.

O’Neill, for his part, has pushed back firmly, insisting his integrity has not been compromised, but the noise around his position is a distraction that a club fighting for Championship survival could do without.

Tactical Preview

Davies is expected to set Birmingham up in a 4-2-3-1, using the width provided by Osayi-Samuel on the right to stretch Blackburn’s defensive shape and create space for the attacking players in behind.

The double pivot in midfield is designed to provide security on the counter, which will be necessary given Blackburn’s tendency to look for quick transitions when they win the ball back in their own half.

Ducksch and Stansfield will be the focal points of the attack, with the former looking to find pockets of space between the lines and the latter offering a more direct threat in behind the Rovers’ defence.

O’Neill will set Blackburn up in a compact shape designed to frustrate Birmingham and keep the scoreline level for as long as possible.

Blackburn showed grit and how tough they can be to break down in the goalless draw with Middlesbrough, and a similar defensive display at St. Andrew’s is what O’Neill will be targeting as a minimum.

Only rock-bottom Sheffield Wednesday have scored fewer goals than Blackburn in the Championship this term, which means the visitors will need to be at their most organised and disciplined to grind out anything from this game. A goal on the counter or from a set piece remains their most realistic route to a positive result.