Birmingham City v Sheffield Wednesday: Sky Sports pundit issues score prediction | OneFootball

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Birmingham City take on Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship at St Andrew's on Saturday.

The Blues controversially made the decision to replace John Eustace with Wayne Rooney last month, and it has been a tough start for the 37-year-old.

Rooney is still searching for his first win as Birmingham manager, and he suffered a fourth defeat in five games as his side were beaten 3-1 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light prior to the international break.

Jobe Bellingham put the Black Cats ahead against his former club, but despite the hosts having chances to extend their lead, Koji Miyoshi equalised for the Blues against the run of play.

Sunderland's dominance continued in the second half, and Dion Sanderson's own goal restored their advantage before Adil Aouchiche's strike sealed all three points.

Having sat sixth at the time of Eustace's departure, Birmingham are now 18th in the table, seven points from the play-off places, while they are just eight points clear of the relegation zone.

It has been an incredibly disappointing start to life back in the Championship for Wednesday, and while performances have improved under new manager Danny Rohl, the German has lost four of his first five games in charge.

The Owls were beaten 4-0 by Millwall at Hillsborough last time out, with goals from Murray Wallace, George Saville, Wes Harding and Brooke Norton-Cuffy securing an emphatic victory for the Lions.

Wednesday currently sit bottom of the table, nine points from safety.

What did David Prutton predict?

Sky Sports pundit Prutton believes Rooney will record his first victory as Birmingham manager against Wednesday, predicting a 1-0 win for the Blues.

"This is where his tenure really starts for Wayne Rooney. Birmingham have had five tough games against top-half opponents, but this is at home against bottom of the table. It is a must-win game and he’ll know that," Prutton said on the Sky Sports website.

"Sheffield Wednesday have just a point on the road all season. Their win over Rotherham a few weeks ago proved to be a false dawn. It was the only time they had scored in their last nine games. I think Rooney gets off the mark here."

Will Birmingham City beat Sheffield Wednesday?

Despite their poor form in recent weeks, the Blues come into the game as favourites.

However, there is huge pressure on Rooney to pick up three points against Wednesday, and failure to secure a positive result will increase the scrutiny on him.

The decision to replace Eustace with Rooney is looking like an unnecessary gamble, and while he has had a tough run of fixtures at the start of his reign, he must turn his side's fortunes around quickly.