Birmingham vs Southampton: Unbeaten Blues face Saints side finding attacking form

Birmingham City welcome Southampton to St Andrew’s on Tuesday night in one of the Championship’s more intriguing early-season meetings, with the hosts protecting an unbeaten league record against a Saints side beginning to find their attacking rhythm.

Chris Davies’ Birmingham have collected five points from their opening three matches, drawing away to Sheffield United and at home to Bristol City before securing their first league victory of the campaign with a 2-1 win at Wrexham on Friday.

Phil Neumann scored twice in North Wales, providing the response Birmingham needed after their heavy 6-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Brentford three days earlier.

Southampton arrive with greater attacking momentum.

Tonda Eckert’s side recovered from a 2-1 opening defeat at Watford by beating Stoke City 3-1 and then producing their most convincing performance of the season in Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Millwall.

Cyle Larin scored twice against the Lions and has already established himself as Southampton’s main early-season goal threat, while Finn Azaz, Leo Scienza and Tom Fellows also found the net.

Those back-to-back victories would ordinarily have left Saints among the Championship’s early leaders, but a four-point deduction means they enter Tuesday’s fixture with only two points despite taking six on the pitch.

Birmingham’s greater concern is availability. Marc Leonard remains sidelined, while Demarai Gray has been dealing with a shoulder problem suffered against Wrexham and faces a late fitness decision.

Southampton are still without Caspar Jander, whose return from a muscle injury has taken longer than initially hoped, although Eckert has said the midfielder is making progress.

The match therefore brings together two sides with different forms of early encouragement.

Birmingham have been difficult to beat and have already taken four points from two away fixtures.

Southampton have shown considerably more attacking firepower, scoring eight times across their last two league games.

At St Andrew’s, one of those trends will face its strongest test yet.