Birmingham v Blackburn Rovers: mid-table push meets survival bid | OneFootball

Birmingham City host Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Friday, 3 April 2026 at St Andrew's, with the hosts looking to cement a top half spot and the visitors seeking breathing space above the relegation places.

Birmingham City sit 11th on 53 points, while Blackburn Rovers are 19th with 43. The reverse meeting in August went Birmingham's way, a useful reference as the run-in tightens.

Birmingham have mixed recent form, beating Queens Park Rangers and drawing with Sheffield United at home before away defeats at Charlton and Derby. Blackburn Rovers have taken four points from their last three, winning at Millwall and drawing with Middlesbrough after a narrow loss at Oxford United.

Injuries could shape selections. Birmingham are without defenders Kai Wagner, Lee Buchanan and Alexander William Cochrane. Blackburn Rovers list several absentees, including Sondre Trondstad, Ryan Hedges, Andri Gudjohnsen and defenders Lewis Miller, Hayden Carter and Connor O'Riordan, which may stretch their back line options.

On season trends, Birmingham tend to see more of the ball with 54% possession and sharper passing at 79.65% accuracy, while Blackburn Rovers' 10 clean sheets point to resilience. Wide supply could matter: both sides have 10 headed goals, with Blackburn Rovers' Ryoya Morishita on seven assists. For Birmingham, Marvin Ducksch has 10 league goals, and Jay Stansfield has provided six assists.

A win would move Birmingham to 56 points and strengthen their top half position. Victory for Blackburn Rovers would take them to 46 points and could open more daylight above the relegation places.