Huddersfield vs Birmingham predictions: Blues can claim crucial win

- Huddersfield are second bottom, three points from safety
- Birmingham are one place and two points better off
- Recommended bet: Birmingham to win

Huddersfield and Birmingham square off in a huge relegation showdown in the Championship on Saturday.

Both sides are right in the thick of it in the bottom three, but a victory for either will significantly boost their chances of survival.

Town could be relegated this weekend if they lose and 21st-placed Sheffield Wednesday, who host West Brom, win and Andre Breitenreiter's side will be doing all they can to stop at least half of that scenario unfolding.

However, they approach the clash on the back of a damaging 4-0 home defeat to Swansea and while Blues' form has been patchy at best, it is Gary Rowett's men who look best set to pull off a win at this most crucial of times.

Team news

Huddersfield have plenty of injury worries heading into the relegation showdown with Yuta Nakayama, Jonathan Hogg and Josh Ruffels all still absent while Radinio Balker is a major doubt.

Kian Harratt remains suspended for the Terriers.

Birmingham striker Lukas Jutkiewicz has been out since the middle of March with a knee injury , but he is close to a return to action and could be a welcome inclusion in the squad for the trip to the John Smith's Stadium.

Alfie Chang is a confirmed absentee for the visitors as he remains on the long-term injury list.

The stats

Birmingham are in 22nd place and have won just two of their last 12 Championship games.

Huddersfield are a place below and have also won only two of their last 12 in the second tier.

The reverse fixture at St Andrew's finished 4-1 to Blues in October, the only time they have scored more than three goals in the league this season.

Birmingham have not won at Huddersfield since December 2014 — a run of seven visits without victory.

Prediction

It has been a dismal campaign for both Huddersfield and Birmingham with the spectre of relegation hanging over them throughout much of the second half of the season.

With Rotherham already down, it looks like being two from seven at the bottom of the Championship to join them and the Terriers and Blues are currently the teams who occupy the other relegation spots.

This penultimate game of the season is the definition of a 'six-pointer', and a defeat now could be catastrophic, especially when you consider they both have challenging assignments on the final day.

Huddersfield go to title-chasing Ipswich, while Blues host Norwich on May 4, with the Canaries still trying to secure a play-off place.

Recent form suggests the visitors will edge it, although Blues fans will not be heading north with unbridled confidence after they failed to beat the already-relegated Millers away last week, instead sluggishly drawing that 'must-win' encounter 0-0.

It will probably be tense and error-strewn — just what you would expect from a relegation scrap — but Rowett's men can do what they should have done against Rotherham and pick up a massive away win.

Back Birmingham to win at 2/1 with LiveScore Bet.

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