Swansea City v Birmingham: lower-half rivals eye breathing space | OneFootball

Swansea City host Birmingham City in the Championship on Saturday, 17 January 2026 in Swansea, with both aiming to climb the table and put daylight between themselves and the relegation fight.

Recent head to heads have been tight: there have been seven draws in the past meetings listed, although Birmingham City edged the reverse fixture 1-0 in September 2025.

Swansea City have found some league momentum with three wins in their last five Championship games, including a New Year victory over West Bromwich Albion. Birmingham's recent league run reads two draws, a defeat at Watford and a 3-2 win against Coventry, followed by an FA Cup triumph at Cambridge United.

Team news could matter. Swansea City list Adam Idah and Ishé Samuels-Smith as injured. Birmingham are without Demarai Gray, Jay Stansfield, Ethan Laird and Lee Buchanan, with Jack Robinson and Alexander William Cochrane also sidelined.

On the pitch, Swansea City tend to control possession at 55% and have kept seven clean sheets this season, while Zan Vipotnik leads their scoring with 10 league goals. Birmingham have scored 35 league goals, are strong in the air with nine headed goals, and deliver frequent open play crosses, so wide service could be a route.

A home win would take Swansea City to 35 points and could pull them further clear of danger. Victory for Birmingham would move them to 37 points and edge them towards the top half.