Football League World
·3 March 2023
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·3 March 2023
Birmingham City head coach John Eustace has revealed that Reda Khadra has participated in training this week and is in contention to feature in tomorrow’s crucial clash with Wigan Athletic.
Khadra has not featured for the Blues since their 4-3 victory over Swansea City due to an issue with his hamstring.
In the absence of the 21-year-old, Birmingham have suffered four defeats in their last five league games.
As a result of this dip in form, the Blues have slipped down to 19th in the Championship standings and are now only seven points clear of the relegation zone.
After being beaten by Luton Town last weekend, Birmingham will be aiming to alleviate fears of being dragged into a battle for survival by securing a positive result at the DW Stadium.
A victory for the Blues on their travels could lead to them moving above Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City in the table depending on the outcome of results elsewhere.
Ahead of Saturday’s game, Eustace has shared an update on Khadra.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (as cited by Birmingham City’s official Twitter account), Eustace said: “Reda has had a good week.
“He joined in on Tuesday, so he’s had a good couple of days training which has been a massive plus for us.
“He will certainly be pushing for Saturday.”
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The Verdict
This is an encouraging update for Birmingham as Khadra has shown some real signs of promise for the club since making a temporary switch to St Andrew’s earlier this year.
After scoring on his debut in the Blues’ clash with Bristol City, the attacking midfielder went on to find the back of the net in the Championship side’s FA Cup showdown with Blackburn Rovers.
If Khadra is fit enough to feature tomorrow, Birmingham will be hoping that the German will be able to provide some creativity against a Wigan side who have only lost once at this level since handing over the reins at the DW Stadium to Shaun Maloney.
By beating the Latics, the Blues could use the confidence gained from this result to push on in the second-tier with Khadra in their side over the course of the coming months.