Birmingham City vs Coventry City Predictions, Lineups & Betting Tips

Birmingham City vs Coventry City Predictions, Lineups & Betting Tips

Match Details: January 04, 2026 | St Andrews | EFL Championship | 12:00 GMT

It might be a new year, but for these English Championship teams, there is no time to rest, as league leaders Coventry look to get back to winning ways when they travel to Birmingham on Sunday lunchtime.

Both sides were in action on New Years Day, with Brum starting off 2026 with a tough trip to the capital, where they suffered a hammering 3-0 defeat at the hands of Watford. Coventry, meanwhile, followed up just their third defeat of the season with a 1-1 draw at Charlton Athletic.

We are backing an open affair here, with both sides looking to grab their first win of 2026 – we could be looking at quite an attacking game.

Key Betting Tip: BTTS at 1.62 odds on TalkSPORT Bet represents excellent value based on the tip provided by our algorithm.

This match looks exciting from a both teams to score outlook. Both sides have scored with fluidity all season so far, with Sunday’s visitors leading the scoring charts with 55 goals in just 25 games. Coventry’s goalless returns against Ipswich are the only two times they have failed to score in a game since September, while Birmingham have performed very well at home, scoring 24 goals in their 12 home matches so far.

odds subject to change.

Birmingham City vs Coventry City Lineups

Birmingham Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): James Beadle; Alexander Cochrane, Jack Robinson, Phil Neumann, Alfons Sampstead; Seung-Ho Paik, Tomoki Iwata; Keshi Anderson, Willum Willumsson, Patrick Roberts; Kyogo Furuhashi.

Team News: Bright Osayi-Samuel is unavailable for the hosts due to him attending the AFCON, while Christoph Klarer is suspended. Demarai Gray, Ethan Laird, Jay Stansfield, Lee Buchanan and Scott Wright will all miss out through injury.

Coventry Predicted XI (3-1-4-2): Carl Rushworth; Liam Kitching, Bobby Thomas, Joel Latibeaudiere; Matt Grimes; Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Josh Eccles, Jamie Allen, Milan van Ewijk; Haji Wright, Ellis Simms.

Team News: The visitors are nearly at full-strength for this clash, but they will be missing a few players to injury. Oliver Dovin, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Victor Torp are all sidelined.

Birmingham City vs Coventry City Current League Standings

The Birmingham-based side have not had an easy return to the second tier, despite a promising start and very hopeful pre-season aspirations. So far, they have won eight games, drawn seven and lost 10, finding themselves in 17th on 31 points. They don’t find themselves completely out of the race for promotion, with 21 games to go, they are only nine points off, so a good string of results could put them in great stead come May.

As for Coventry, Frank Lampard has done wonders for the midlands outfit. Coming in when they were just four points above the drop zone, the Sky Blues find themselves eight points clear and in the mix for a record-breaking Championship campaign. They have won 15 so far, drawing seven and losing just three. They are by far the most free-scoring side in the league too, with 55 goals, having found the net 13 more times than the next best.

Birmingham City vs Coventry City Head-to-Head Timeline

Recent Head-to-Head Results:

Through the last 15 years, these sides have met on 15 occasions. This particular head-to-head seems quite close, with seven of their meetings ending in a stalemate; Brum have found three victories, while Coventry have won five times. In the last five meetings, Coventry have won three to Birmingham City’s one.

• September 27, 2025: Coventry 3-0 Birmingham
• April 13, 2024: Birmingham 3-0 Coventry
• December 8, 2023: Coventry 2-0 Birmingham
• April 29, 2023: Coventry 2-0 Birmingham
• September 17, 2022: Birmingham 0-0 Coventry

Birmingham City and Coventry City: Recent Matches Analysis

Birmingham Last 5 Matches:

• Birmingham 0-3 Watford (A)
• Birmingham 1-1 Southampton (H)
• Birmingham 1-1 Derby (H)
• Birmingham 0-3 Sheffield Utd (A)
• Birmingham 1-1 Charlton (H)

It wasn’t an easy month for Birmingham, who have failed to win a game in their last eight games – the last being a 2-1 win over Watford. They have lost four points in recent games too from winning positions, after going 1-0 up against both Charlton and Southampton. An embarrassing defeat to Watford should hopefully kick them into gear for this crucial clash as they hope to end the rut.

Coventry Last 5 Matches:

• Coventry 1-1 Charlton (A)
• Coventry 0-2 Ipswich (H)
• Coventry 1-0 Swansea (H)
• Coventry 1-1 Southampton (A)
• Coventry 1-0 Bristol City (H)

Coventry have seen a mix of results in recent weeks, finding two wins, two draws and loss in their last five matches. They haven’t quite been at their free-flowing selves either, scoring just one goal or less in each of these, so they will sure want to be on form to get their first win in 2026.

Birmingham City vs Coventry City Predictions

Our advanced algorithm analyses over 200 data points to generate these predictions with confidence in both teams finding the target. The model factors in current form, head-to-head records, player availability, and tactical matchups.

Best Birmingham City vs Coventry City Betting Tips

Football Park’s Best Bet: BTTS @ 1.62 - Recent form suggests confidence in a high scoring game. With a staggering 90% chance of both teams to score according to our incredible in-house algorithm, this seems like a strong value option.

Key Players to Watch: Birmingham City vs Coventry City

Alexander Cochrane (Birmingham): The 25-year-old has had a good season so far providing for his teammates, recording an impressive four assists. He has been one of Brum’s better performing players and he will hope he can provide more chances for his side this weekend.

Ellis Simms (Coventry): Simms has been in fine form for the Sky Blues in recent weeks, scoring eight goals and registering two assists from his 22 appearances in the league. He also found Coventry’s solitary goal in their last match, so he will hope to carry that form into Sunday’s fixture.

Birmingham City vs Coventry City Match Facts

Referee: James Linington.

Broadcast Details:

UK/INT’L: NOW, Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports+ at 12:00 GMT.

Stadium Information: Located in Birmingham, England, St Andrews can hold up to just over 30,000 supporters, and this venue is expected to be packed for this clash, with this clash having much at stake for both sides.

Birmingham City vs Coventry City: Final Prediction

Birmingham City 1-2 Coventry City