Birmingham City will be looking to continue building momentum after their victory against Lincoln City last weekend.
Bailey Cadamarteri gave the Imps the lead early doors, but Blues responded very well and recorded a 3-1 victory, which was much-needed after their defeat against Charlton Athletic before the international break.
This Tuesday, they return to St Andrew’s to take on Bolton Wanderers, who have managed to get themselves back on track following a difficult start to the 2024/25 campaign.
Ian Evatt’s side could provide the Midlands side with one of their most difficult challenges of the season, but Chris Davies’ men are still the favourites and will be looking to claim another three points.
Having dropped just five points all season, and with the quality and depth they currently have in their squad, it seems inevitable that Birmingham will seal a return to the Championship at the first time of asking.
| Birmingham City v Bolton Wanderers in League One | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (As of October 21st, 2024) | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Birmingham City | 10 | 10 | 25 |
| 11 | Bolton Wanderers | 10 | 1 | 17 |
However, they have got to maintain their composure, not become complacent and ignore all the outside noise. That’s their recipe for success – and it remains to be seen whether they can continue to impress.
Looking more at short-term matters, we take a look at who will be unavailable for Blues and Bolton tomorrow.
Birmingham have a couple of injury doubts for this midweek clash, with Jay Stansfield, Scott Wright and Emil Hansson all picking up knocks recently, with the latter coming off against Lincoln.
Speaking to Birmingham Live after the game, Davies said his side were going to monitor the trio ahead of Tuesday’s game, so it remains to be seen whether they will be involved. It’s also unclear whether Lukas Jutkiewicz will be involved, having missed the last game.
Krystian Bielik
Krystian Bielik has spent a chunk of his career on the sidelines, but his injury record has improved at Birmingham and he will be frustrated to be missing out in this game.
Suffering an ankle injury at Charlton, he remains out of action at this point, but his setback won’t keep him out for the longer term.
Lee Buchanan
Lee Buchanan hasn’t been able to get going this season because of a calf injury.
And with the player suffering a separate calf issue recently, he looks set to remain on the sidelines, with the left-back back in the treatment room again.
Luke Harris
Loanee Luke Harris only returned to light training last week, so it would be difficult to see him being rushed back into the matchday squad, especially when Davies has other talented options at his disposal.
The 19-year-old, however, is closing in on a return and that’s good news for Blues.
Alfie Chang
Midfielder Alfie Chang has been out of action for a considerable amount of time now, having sustained a cruciate ligament injury.
Thankfully for the Midlands side, he has returned to light training, and this is a big step for him in his quest to get himself back out on the field.
Even if he was fit though, he isn’t registered in the squad and wouldn’t be eligible to play anyway. A January loan could be on the horizon for him if he continues to recover well.
George Thomason
Bolton have a few injury doubts ahead of the game, with Nathan Baxter and Eoin Toal facing a race to be fit for the clash at St Andrew’s.
Gethin Jones, however, could be back in action and Carlos Mendes Gomes has returned to training, which is good news. Whether he will feature in the matchday squad tomorrow remains to be seen.
A hamstring injury forced George Thomason off the field against Lincoln – and it seems inevitable that he will miss out tomorrow because of the nature of this injury.
Speaking after full-time last weekend, assistant boss Stephen Crainey told Bolton News: “We’re hoping for a clean bill of health but we won’t really know about the players who have played in that game until Monday morning. Regardless, we go to Birmingham and need to put on a good performance.
“I think George (Thomason) is his hamstring but in terms of length of time, I am not too sure, we need to wait on the medical team.”
Chris Forino
Chris Forino has also suffered with a hamstring issue, but his one will keep him out for months after he went under the knife.
He will spend three to four months on the sidelines and that’s a real shame – because he looked to be an exceptional signing during the summer.
Doing very well at Wycombe Wanderers in the past, Forino will be tipped to do well when he returns.
Jordi Osei-Tutu
In mid-September, Jordi Osei-Tutu was ruled out for around six weeks and with this in mind, he may not be too far away from a return.
With his injury record in mind though, it would be difficult to see the Trotters involving him in the very short term.