Birmingham City vs Bolton Wanderers; Sky Bet Championship
Birmingham City vs Bolton Wanderers. Sky Bet Championship.
St. Andrew's StadiumAttendance20,215.
Birmingham v Bolton preview
Monday 14 August 2017 18:45, UK
Birmingham could hand Isaac Vassell a debut at home to Bolton after he joined from Luton.
Striker Vassell, cousin of former Aston Villa and Manchester City forward Darius, has signed a four-year deal at St Andrew's. But Maikel Kieftenbeld is banned after being sent off in Saturday's 2-1 win over Bristol City, a game in which David Davis, Che Adams and Jonathan Grounds all picked up injuries.
Lukas Jutkiewicz has been suffering with a calf strain which he picked up in pre-season and Cheick Keita is a major doubt as he battles a groin problem.
Filipe Morais is unlikely to start for Bolton despite scoring their equaliser at Millwall at the weekend. The winger has been troubled by a knee injury in pre-season and is still working his way back to full fitness so manager Phil Parkinson is being cautious.
Wanderers' squad has been stretched, particularly after injuries to Josh Vela (ankle) and David Wheater (back) during their opening game against Leeds. Forward Sammy Ameobi (knee) may not return until the end of September.
Opta stats
Birmingham have won each of the last three league encounters with Bolton by a 1-0 scoreline, the Blues' best winning run against Bolton since September 1965.
These two sides haven't played out a draw at St. Andrew's in the league since November 2000, with Birmingham winning seven and Bolton winning four.
Harry Redknapp has won his last eight home matches against Bolton in all competitions - one game with Portsmouth, six with Tottenham and one with QPR.
Bolton have failed to score in their last three league meetings against Birmingham for the first time since 1949 - they have never gone four consecutive league games without scoring against the Blues.
Prutton's prediction
Birmingham got a great win at the weekend after coming from behind. It was important for Harry Redknapp to get that result and I fancy them again at home against Bolton.
Filipe Morais being back is great for the Trotters and he's the creative spark they'll need this season. They've got a good defensive foundation and it's just about adapting back to Championship level. Consolidation is their main aim but I think they'll still be looking for a first win of the season after Tuesday night.
Prutton predicts: 2-1 (15/2 with Sky Bet)