Friday’s Championship action sees a huge game between Doncaster Rovers and Birmingham City which will have an impact on the battle for play-off places and the fight against relegation.
Dean Saunders still appears confident that Rovers can escape the drop to League One, despite the fact that they are stuck in a poor run of results of three draws and three defeats which has ultimately seen them fall to the foot of the table.
The Welsh coach has targeted three successive wins from the game against the Blues at the Keepmoat Stadium, a trip to Leicester and the Easter Monday visit of Burnley to claw back the four-point deficit to the final position of safety.
Looking to the Birmingham game and Rovers will have to end a nine-game sequence without a win in front of their own fans if they are to pick up three points, while they have only managed 15 goals on home soil so far this season – the worst record in the Championship.
Shelton Martis and Pascal Chimbonda could be set to miss out for Rovers which will not help their need to come out on top in this one.
Chris Hughton’s Birmingham have also hit a sticky patch at just the wrong time as they look to seal a place in the end-of-season play-off places in order to keep alive their bid for an immediate return to the Premier League.
Just two wins in the last eight outings have left the Blues in sixth position, but only on goal difference ahead of Blackpool and Cardiff, while Hull and Leeds are also within striking distance should there be a slip-up in south Yorkshire.
Hughton will be boosted by having David Murphy back from suspension and he will return on the left side of defence, while Peter Ramage is set to stay on the right in the absence of Jonathan Spector and Stephen Carr.
Nikola Zigic is pressing for a recall, possibly at the expense of Erik Huseklepp, in the forward line as he bids to add to his goals tally, while there is a chance that both Pablo Ibanez and Keith Fahey could shake off injury problems in time to be available.
The two sides have only faced each other eight times competitively with the previous meeting at the Keepmoat Stadium seeing Birmingham come out on top 2-0 during the 2008/09 season thanks to first-half goals from Cameron Jerome and Hameur Bouazza.
Marlon King’s brace helped the Blues come from a goal down to seal a 2-1 win in the corresponding fixture at St Andrew’s in December and they will be looking to secure a similar result on Friday evening.
It is being billed as a must-win encounter for both sides and, despite Doncaster being unfortunate not to pick up more points than they have of late, Birmingham should have too much in attack in their quest for play-off points.
Prediction: Away Win 90 Minutes @ Evens
Value Bet: Birmingham To Win 2-0 Correct Score @ 8/1
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