Oakley starts: The predicted Birmingham City XI to face Coventry on Tuesday evening | OneFootball

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Football League World

·22 November 2021

Oakley starts: The predicted Birmingham City XI to face Coventry on Tuesday evening

Article image:Oakley starts: The predicted Birmingham City XI to face Coventry on Tuesday evening

Birmingham City will be looking to get back on track in the Championship tomorrow when they face Coventry City.

After winning three games in a row in the second-tier, the Blues would have been hoping to pick up maximum points in their clashes with Reading and Hull City earlier this month.


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However, Birmingham were unable to deliver the goods in these particular fixtures as they suffered back-to-back defeats.

When you consider that Gary Gardner is set to miss the club’s meeting with Coventry due to suspension, it will be intriguing to see who Blues manager Lee Bowyer opts to draft in as a replacement for the midfielder.

Here, we have decided to take a look at how Birmingham could line up at the Coventry Building Society Arena…

Having regularly utilised the 3-4-1-2 formation in the Championship this season, Lee Bowyer is likely to stick with this particular set up tomorrow.

Goalkeeper Matija Sarkic has established himself as a mainstay in Birmingham’s team since sealing a loan switch to St Andrew’s in the summer and is set to make his 19th appearance of the season on Tuesday.

Harlee Dean, Marc Roberts and Dion Sanderson will be aiming to help the Blues keep a clean-sheet in this fixture in their centre-back roles.

Whilst Jeremie Bela will feature at left wing-back, Marcel Oakley could be given the opportunity to showcase his talent on the right-hand side if Bowyer decides to play Riley McGree in a more advanced role.

Oakley has demonstrated some real signs of promise during the three appearances that he has made for Birmingham this season.

Particularly impressive during the Blues’ League Cup clash with Colchester United, the 19-year-old scored the winning goal in this fixture as he registered a WhoScored match rating of 7.89.

By replicating this display against Coventry, Oakley could help his side secure a positive result on their travels.

Ivan Sunjic will feature alongside Ryan Woods in central midfield whilst McGree is set to feature in the hole behind Troy Deeney and Scott Hogan.

Having scored in three of his last four league appearances for Birmingham, Hogan ought to be brimming with confidence heading into his side’s meeting with Coventry and thus it wouldn’t be at all surprising if he adds to his goal-tally on Tuesday.

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