You know that the manager is under pressure when the ownership feels compelled to make a statement. Whilst the Wagner words didn’t go as far as publicly backing their head coach, there was no hint at an immediate change either, so Chris Davies will be hoping for a statement win here to try and appease a fanbase who are asking serious questions.

Surprisingly, there are some Coventry fans who are beginning to ask questions too, which, given their season so far, is perhaps harsh, but it is indicative of what the pressure of automatic promotion into the Premier League can do.

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📈 Birmingham v Coventry Form & Stats

Birmingham have now failed to win in seven Championship matches in a row, and from a position on the verge of the top six, they have tumbled into 17th, now two points closer to the relegation zone than the play-off positions. It is the meek away defeats that will be most troubling to Chris Davies and the fans, going down 0-3 at Watford and Sheffield United, and also losing at QPR and Southampton before that. Thankfully, they are at home here, and that has been a totally different story.

Birmingham have lost only once at St. Andrew’s all season, and actually have a +1.06 xG differential across their home matches this season, an exceptionally dominant number. However, in truth, they didn’t come across as dominant last time out against Southampton, nor did they against Charlton or Watford in recent weeks either. What we can usually say with confidence, though, is that Birmingham will create the chances to score; their lowest xG for in a home match this season remains the 1.19 xG generated in the opening home match against Ipswich.

There can be little doubt that Coventry have slowed down in their pursuit of Premier League football. Only two wins in their last seven matches, and no wins in their last four away games, means that Lampard has work to do to re-establish their momentum before some degree of panic sets in. Some negativity has already creeped into the fanbase in this mad Christmas schedule.

However, taking a step back and zooming out on Coventry’s form from a neutral standpoint presents a check on that concern. They are still in the top six in the xG form over their last ten matches, they created almost 2.5 xG last time out against Charlton, and the only team they have lost to in the last 12 matches is Ipswich Town. One genuine concern is that they haven’t scored more than once in a match in seven attempts now.

📔 Birmingham v Coventry Formation & Team News

Chris Davies has really had to struggle with injuries and suspensions over the last few weeks. There hasn’t been a chance for him to really use his best players to deploy a tactical plan, which is what Davies would’ve wanted to do. Instead, he has had to chop and change and fit players into a system which is well-drilled, but requires an amount of individual capability too.

Tomoki Iwata isn’t a true right back, but is likely to play there, and neither is Eiran Cashin a left-back. Welcoming Tommy Doyle back into central midfield should be a big help, but Jay Stansfield could miss out again, and with no Marvin Ducksch available either, Willum Willumson and Kyogo, still looking for his first Birmingham goal, will be the central duo in the usual 4-2-3-1 formation.

Coventry are also without some key players too. Victor Torp has been a really important cog in the machine this season, and Brandon Thomas-Asante remains top goalscorer, but both will likely miss this match. They have been able to rotate a little over the last few weeks, but potentially at the cost of a few points left on the table.

Frank Lampard is likely to go with a 3-4-3 here, but the former Chelsea man is quite flexible in his approaches to different matches. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Ephron Mason-Clark could be used on either side of either Haji Wright or Ellis Simms.

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