Following Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers, Nathan Jones’ side made it five points from three matches, cementing their 10th position in the league.
Meanwhile the Blues are without a win in the last three matches and most recently shared a goalless draw with Coventry City.
Nathan Jones said:
(Please note these quotes are taken from Nathan’s press conference on Monday afternoon – you can watch the full version by clicking here)
On Birmingham: “They’ve got a very experienced Championship manager in Aitor. They were a Premier League club. Again, another club with a massive budget and expectation. It’s a tough, tough game again and they have to come here and prove that they’re better than us. That’s something we’re relishing and looking forward to.
“It’s a massive club in terms of structure and stature and I remember Birmingham when I was growing up and Mick played for them, so they’re a massive club and, again, another fantastic test for us.”
On Aitor Karanka: “He knows how to win a game, he had a fantastic Middlesbrough team, come up against them many times at Brighton when he went to Forest, obviously had relative success there but he’s very experienced, was with Mourinho. Fantastic career, Spanish mentality in terms of how they train, how they do stuff.
“Fantastic manager but without being disrespectful to anyone we come up against in League Two and League One, this is part and parcel of going up against teams like Birmingham and managers like Aitor Karanka because they are very, very good managers.
“Just started his tenure at Birmingham, it will be a tough game, but he knows how to win games at Championship level and here we are learning and establishing ourselves, trying to find ways to be really competitive at this level.”
Who?
Relegated from the Premier League in 2011 after two seasons in the top flight, Birmingham have been in the Championship ever since.
The Blues however, did win the Carling Cup Final during that campaign after beating favourites Arsenal at Wembley Stadium. That was the second time they have lifted the League Cup trophy as they first done it in 1963, after defeating main rivals Aston Villa.
The manager – Aitor Karanka
Aitor Karanka is a well-known figure in management following a successful career as a player in Spain with the likes of Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid.
Prior to his recent appointment at St Andrews, Karanka was previously in charge of Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest following a three period as Assistant Manager to Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid.
Main threat – Jérémie Bela
Jérémie Bela is one of Birmingham’s most consistent attacking threats and has the highest goal contributions for the team this season. With two goals and three assists, the 27-year-old is a tricky winger Town will have to watch carefully.
When and where?
Kick-off is 7pm at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday 24th November.
Man in the middle?
The referee for this evening’s fixture is David Webb – who last took charge of the Hatters in the 1-0 home defeat to Swansea City last season.
Played before?
The two sides last met in January and Birmingham were 2-1 winners at Kenilworth Road, the same scoreline as the meeting at St Andrews last term too.
Follow the action
This evening’s match will NOT be available to watch on the Red Button.
Season ticket holder iFollow codes for the Birmingham game have been distributed by email.
Alternatively, the only way you can watch the game from Kenilworth Road is via iFollow Hatters. You can purchase a £10 match pass by clicking the image at the foot of the page.
