Birmingham City were unable to follow up their 1-0 win at home against Blackpool with another three points, as they suffered a 3-1 defeat away at Millwall last weekend.
After strikes from Murray Wallace and Tom Bradshaw put the hosts two goals to the good at the break, Troy Deeney gave the visitors a lifeline with a thunderbolt in the 56th minute. However, George Evans restored Millwall’s two-goal cushion with a 73rd-minute curler just inside the penalty area.
Lee Bowyer’s men have now dropped down to 16th in the Championship standings, 10 points above the relegation zone and eight behind the top six.
Birmingham head into Saturday’s encounter having accumulated nine points from their last four home games in the second tier, as many as they had claimed in their previous nine league matches at St Andrew’s.
The Blues have, however, only picked up one point from their last five league games against Cardiff, and suffered a heavy 4-0 home defeat on the final day of last season.
No Championship side has kept more clean sheets than Birmingham (10) so far this campaign, with half of those clean sheets coming in the last nine matches. Another resilient defensive display will be required against the Bluebirds if they are to claim a positive result this weekend.
Cardiff City suffered their eighth home defeat in nine league matches when they were beaten 3-2 against Sheffield United last weekend.
Despite the Bluebirds taking the lead in the 32nd minute through Mark Harris, the dismissal of defender Sean Morrison seven minutes after the break proved to be a turning point in the contest, as the visitors went on to score three goals in the space of 14 minutes to come away from Wales with all three points.
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Steve Morison’s side have now suffered 12 Championship defeats this season – only Peterborough United have lost more – and they remain five points above the relegation zone.
Cardiff’s recent record against Birmingham should give them confidence of returning to winning ways on Saturday, as they have won four and drawn one of their last five meetings against them, scoring 15 goals in the process.
The Bluebirds will be looking to win successive away league matches at St Andrew’s for the first time since 1927
