Preview: Exeter City vs. Birmingham City

Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s League One clash between Exeter City and Birmingham City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Two teams looking to end winless streaks will go head-to-head when Exeter City welcome Birmingham City to St James Park for a rescheduled League One fixture on Tuesday.

The hosts are without a win in their last two matches, while the visitors have failed to win any of their last three league games.

Match preview
© Imago

Exeter were outclassed 3-0 by Wrexham in their last league outing, a result that followed a goalless draw against Lincoln City, and has left the Grecians in 11th place with 23 points after 14 League One matches.

Prior to this two-match winless streak, Gary Caldwell’s side had put together a three-game winning run across all competitions with victories over Bristol Rovers and Barnet in the EFL Trophy and FA Cup respectively, before a slim victory over Charlton Athletic in the league.

However, the win over Charlton is Exeter’s only victory in their last five League One matches, losing three times and drawing one, which is in contrast with their early-season form when they won six of their opening 10 matches.

The Grecians are just three points adrift of Barnsley who currently occupy the final playoff spot having played one extra game, a factor that adds an extra incentive to the game against Birmingham.

This will be the first-ever meeting between both teams, and Exeter will head into Tuesday’s clash with an opportunity to achieve a three-match unbeaten streak on home soil for the first time since a five-match run between late February and early April.

Tagged as a favourite for the League One crown, Birmingham have recently had to deal with adversity after a great start to the campaign with nine wins in their opening 11 league matches.

However, the Cobblers have failed to win any of their last three league games, following up 1-1 draws against Mansfield and Northampton with a 3-2 defeat away at Shrewsbury Town last time out.

Birmingham are now fourth in the table with 30 points, five points behind high-flying table-toppers Wycombe who have played one extra game, and one behind second-placed Wrexham, who have played two extra matches.

Chris Davies’s men will hope to get back on track on Tuesday, but one defeat and one draw each in their last three away matches is a worrying sign for the Cobblers.

Another worrying sign for Birmingham is that they conceded three times in a game for the first time this season, which could be a sign of cracks in what has been a resolute defence for the most part of the season.

Exeter City League One form:

Exeter City form (all competitions):

Birmingham City League One form:

Birmingham City form (all competitions):

Exeter will welcome back midfielder Ryan Woods who missed the last league outing due to a ban for his red card against Lincoln.

However, Yanic Wildschut and Patrick Jones remain sidelined with ligament and hamstring injuries, respectively.

Birmingham are dealing with injuries to wingers Emil Hansson and Scott Wright, while Lee Buchanan is still trying to reach match fitness after recovering from a calf issue.

Jay Stansfield has scored in back-to-back matches, and he is expected to retain his spot in attack, supported by Luke Harris.

Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Whitworth; Sweeney, Crama, Purrington; Watts, Doyle, McMillan, Niskanen; Doyle, Aitchison; Magennis

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Laird, Klarer, Bielik, Cochrane; Paik, Iwata; Anderson, Harris, Willumsson,; Stansfield

We say: Exeter City 1-1 Birmingham City
Exeter have shown some good signs at home in recent weeks, especially defensively where they have kept consecutive clean sheets.

Meanwhile, Birmingham are starting to show some cracks and have conceded four goals in their last two matches, but we believe that the visitors have what it takes to get a result here, which is why we are predicting a draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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