Wrexham vs Birmingham City Prediction: Blues to dig deep for a result

Wrexham will be feeling the pressure on Thursday (20:00, Sky Sports Main Event) as they welcome League 1 leaders Birmingham City to SToK Cae Ras. Phil Parkinson's side are five points behind the visitors, who have two games in hands on the Red Dragons.

The hosts cannot afford to slip further behind in the title race, while the Blues will look to extend their cushion at the summit. Birmingham head here with injury concerns to key players, which could shift the momentum in North Wales. Read on for my Wrexham vs Birmingham City prediction, featuring the latest match odds and team news.

Wrexham vs Birmingham City Odds

Wrexham head into Thursday unbeaten at home in the league, and they have won three of their last four fixtures here. They are 12/5 to take the three points.

Birmingham have won all four of their latest away trips in the third tier, and they haven't been beaten in their previous 14 appearances in all competitions. They are 6/5, which has an implied probability of 45.5%, to prevail in this clash.

The visitors head here with some fitness concerns to some of their players, so the draw at 23/10 (30.3%) looks tempting - and I think both teams would consider this outcome as a good day at the office in the grand scheme of things.

Eight of Birmingham's last 10 outings in the league have ended up with under 2.5 goals, which is marketed at 8/13. The meeting between these two clubs in the West Midlands back in September finished 3-1 to the Blues - you can get 18/1 for a repeat scoreline, or 100/30 for over 3.5 goals.

Football Odds

Team News

Wrexham announced on Wednesday that one of their players had been involved in a road traffic accident in the morning, which was later revealed to be captain James McClean. He reported for medical checks after the incident and he will be monitored closely ahead of the game.

Forward Jack Marriott, who opened the scoring against Birmingham in September, is back in contention after recovering from a broken leg. He came on from the bench to feature in the defeat at Shrewsbury Town last Thursday, and Parkinson could be tempted to unleash him upon the Blues again.

The Red Dragons could opt to go with two strikers, which would offer them an outlet against Birmingham's press. So Paul Mullin, Modou Faal and Steven Fletcher will also be pushing to be named in the starting XI.

This would lead to a midfielder dropping out, and right now you would expect Andy Cannon to be the player to make way for another target man. Arthur Okonkwo remains Wrexham's first-choice goalkeeper, and he should be shielded by Max Cleworth, Eoghan O'Connell and Tom O'Connor.

Birmingham boss Chris Davies has ruled out influential midfielders Willum Willumsson and Paik Seung-ho due to injury, while defensive midfielder Tomoki Iwata is also a doubt to take part.

Marc Leoanard and Taylor Gardner-Hickman manned the engine room against Exeter City last Saturday, and their task is going to be much bigger this time around if Iwata is unavailable again.

Captain Krystian Bielik offers another alternative in midfield but his mobility might be an issue, which is why he has mostly operated as a centre-back for the past 12 months.

With Wrexham being very direct in their approach, Bielik could return as an inverted right-back, but natural right-sided defender Ethan Laird has performed well in recent weeks. Christoph Klarer, Ben Davies and Alex Cochrane are guaranteed to start bar any late issues, with Ryan Allsop in between the sticks.

Winger Emil Hansson remains sidelined but Keshi Anderson has resumed training and he could be involved in North Wales. His creativity and drive has been missed in the final third, so that extra attacking dynamic will give the visitors a boost.

Alfie May and Jay Stansfield should combine again at the top end of the pitch, and there might also be a place for Scott Wright.

Draw or Birmingham and over 1.5 goals @ 9/10

As a Birmingham fan, I'm uneasy at the thought of the team going to Wrexham without Paik and Iwata. The midfield fulcrums have been the key to Blues' success this season and their absence will be felt.

Leonard and Gardner-Hickman are excellent understudies, though, and they performed admirably against Exeter last time out. They will face a much tougher test away from home against a title rival, though, and they will need to be switched on from the get-go.

Birmingham have gone 14 games unbeaten in all competitions and they have won each of their last four away fixtures, so Wrexham will be worried after losing two of their last three. Yet, the Red Dragons haven't tasted defeat on home turf, so they will be fancying their chances to get a result against the table-toppers, who are missing key personnel.

The visitors have the opportunity to move eight points clear of Wrexham with two games in hand, which could essentially take the hosts out of the title race, but this is going to be their toughest trip of the campaign to date.

Both teams will be fired up for this clash, especially as there is bound to be some famous faces in attendance if the last meeting is anything to go by. Birmingham have more quality in their squad than Wrexham but their task will be difficult without two of their Player of the Season contenders.

I think it's best to cover double chance for the insurance, as the Red Dragons can make life very difficult in their own backyard, and I would happily take a point right now.

The selection has been boosted by adding over 1.5 goals, which has struck in three of the hosts' previous four appearances in the league.

Jay Stansfield anytime goalscorer @ 9/5

Record signing Stansfield is Birmingham's top scorer in the third tier with 12 goals in 18 matches. The attacker was recently left out of the squads that faced Lincoln City and Swindon Town in the FA Cup and Vertu Trophy respectively.

Davies has had an eye on this big week of back-to-back clashes at Wrexham and fellow promotion challengers Huddersfield Town, who are also in great form at the moment. With key personnel ruled out, Birmingham couldn't afford to miss their biggest goal threat, who they will rely on to get them through the next seven days.

After netting a brace against Wrexham on his debut back in September, Stansfield will be itching to haunt them again in what is his side's biggest match of the season to date.

Wrexham are tough to score against at the Racecourse, but Stansfield possesses the individual quality to penetrate their defence - just look at his sublime strike at Barnsley last month.

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