Birmingham vs Norwich Prediction: A must-win for the Blues

Here we are again as Birmingham City head into another final day in the Championship with the threat of relegation. The Blues find themselves one point from safety as they welcome fifth-placed Norwich City to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on Saturday (Sky Sports, 12:30). The Canaries have all-but sealed their place in the play-offs as their goal difference is far greater than Hull City's, who will be looking to pinch sixth spot from West Bromwich Albion.

Birmingham will be hoping for a favour from the Tigers against Plymouth Argyle, who are also at risk of the drop heading into the weekend. As a Bluenose, I hate being in this position again and I've had a go at trying to call the outcome of this crunch clash. Here are my Birmingham vs Norwich predictions, including team news and match odds.

Match Odds

Birmingham are 13/10 to get the win that they need to give them the best chance of survival, which has a probability of 43.5%. Norwich are 13/8 to condemn the Blues, which gives them a 38.1% chance of victory. The draw can be backed at 12/5 (29.4%).

Both teams to score is on offer at 4/7 and over 2.5 goals is 4/6.

Norwich striker Josh Sargent has netted 16 goals in the Championship this year despite missing a large portion through injury. He is 6/1 to score first. His teammate Gabriel Sara has scored 13 himself and is valued at 3/1 to score anytime.

Team News

Alfie Chang remains Birmingham's definite absentee, having missed the entire season with an ACL injury. Veteran striker Lukas Jutkiewicz returned to the squad at Huddersfield last weekend and I am hoping that the "Juke of Headinburgh" can bail the Blues out of trouble against the Canaries, in what could be his final game for the club - and I am not prepared.

For the visitors, they are going to be missing Onel Hernandez, Liam Gibbs and Dimitrios Giannoulis due to injury.

Birmingham to win @ 13/10

I think my heart is trumping my head here at the time of writing but I have been going back and forth for days. The Blues' recent record against Norwich is not for good reading with just one win in the last 11 meetings, but I think there is more pressure on the hosts to get three points here than the visitors, who would need a lot to go against them to see them drop out of the play-offs.

It is time for the players to stand up and be counted. There have been far too many games this year in which they've rolled over but there have been some good days, such as the 3-0 win over Coventry City a few weeks back. Then there was the comeback victory against Sunderland in what was Tony Mowbray's last game in charge before his medical absence.

What those games both have in common is that they were played at home in front of a sell-out crowd, with Norwich going to be another full house.

Another game that was a sell-out when Birmingham needed to stay up on the final day was when they faced Fulham in 2017/18. The Cottagers needed a win to secure automatic promotion but the Blues thumped them 3-0. I have everything crossed so that we may see something like this on Saturday.

The fans have travelled in numbers all season and not had much back, now the players can somewhat redeem themselves with a performance full of fight, to which no one can argue if the Blues do end the day in League 1.

Seeing as Norwich are as good as in the play-offs, David Wagner could rest some key players, which he did when Birmingham faced his Huddersfield Town side in 2016/17, as the Blues won 2-0. I am praying that history can repeat itself here, and I think it can with the added factor of a full St Andrew's.

Jay Stansfield to anytime goalscorer @ 11/5

One of the few Birmingham players to come out of this season with any credit is Fulham loanee Jay Stansfield. The young attacker has managed to score 12 goals in this struggling Blues side and he will be key if the hosts are to get the vital three points they need on Saturday.

St Andrew's is where the majority of his goals have been scored this season (seven), and in what his likely to be his final appearance for the club, I think he can go out with a bang.

His 12-goal haul is most impressive considering he does not consider himself to be a number nine, but more of an attacking midfielder. He has been a bright spark in another gloomy season for Birmingham, and his stock will have only risen for what he has accomplished this year.

Stansfield has shown he cares for the club over the course of his loan spell, and he will be desperate to play a starring role in this weekend's gargantuan fixture, and I believe he can deliver one more moment of magic in royal blue.

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