Birmingham City vs Middlesbrough: A season-defining Championship clash for the Blues & Boro on Monday night
Birmingham City and Middlesbrough meet with both badly needing a win at St Andrew's. Watch Birmingham City vs Middlesbrough live on Sky Sports Football from 7.30pm on Friday night; kick-off 8pm.
Saturday 28 February 2026 18:33, UK
Blink in the Championship and you're suddenly in trouble.
Middlesbrough were title favourites a fortnight ago, and now they are looking over their shoulder again.
Defeat at Coventry saw their seven-day reign at the top come to an end, frustrating home defeats against Oxford and Leicester have since followed.
From imperious and looking unstoppable after six straight wins, the gap has closed again. The wolves - well, the Lions and the Tigers - are circling beneath (as are the Tractor Boys, but that nickname doesn't quite fit the narrative as well).
All the sides in the play-offs have won back-to-back games. There are now just six points between themselves and Wrexham in sixth.
Birmingham, meanwhile, have seen how one defeat can seemingly destabilise so much progress. Five wins and three draws had dragged them towards the play-offs, but an unravelling 3-0 loss at Millwall in midweek has flung them back into the pack - they head into Monday night eight points off Wrexham in sixth.
Anything but victory and it could be all-but over.
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Davies: It is about starting again
Sometimes a bad defeat can stand out more when it comes amid such a good run. Wednesday at The Den feels like a sore thumb for Chris Davies.
"You are always fed up when you lose a game," he admitted. "There is frustration and disappointment, but you have to get over it quickly. The key is to analyse and learn from it.
"For the first 25 minutes it was fairly even. Away at Millwall, considering everything, we were well in the game. The game turned on one moment. We went up the pitch and had a chance from a corner. They then went straight up the other end with a long ball and a throw-in and scored. From that point, we did not handle it well enough."
The Birmingham boss believes Monday night presents an opportunity for a reset.
"We had gone eight games unbeaten, which showed we can build momentum," he added. "Now it is about starting again. Whether you win or lose, the next game is brand new.
"They are up there in the table and will want to dominate the ball. They like to make lots of passes and control the match. It should be a good footballing game and probably different from the Millwall match.
"Against the strongest teams this season, we have been competitive. We beat Coventry, drew with Ipswich and drew with Southampton. Middlesbrough are flying high, but we look forward to these games. The players will want to prove themselves.
"They will likely be considered favourites and are pushing for automatic promotion, but we are strong at home. We do not need to change much. We just need to impose ourselves and make it uncomfortable for them."
Hellberg defiant despite dip
Three games without a win now for Middlesbrough, and just two goals scored in that time.
But Hellberg is not worried. They have been through the same before, enduring a run of four without a win - or a goal - over the festive season.
"Especially in this league, I've noticed that there are ups and downs for all the teams," he said. "We've scored the third-most goals in the league since I arrived. All the games have looked quite similar. We've still created a lot of opportunities.
"Pause the picture before we're shooting, and there are amazing opportunities. But often the result of the shot is what people remember. Is it a problem because of two games or is it over the whole period? For me, it needs to be put in some perspective. I have all the confidence in the world we'll turn this around.
"Of course we want to score more goals. We have to work on scoring more goals, finding solutions, finding more patterns, and developing from it.
"We had four games in a row where we didn't score for seven hours. We tried to work from it to become better, and we did. And now we're doing the same thing.
"We have to keep working with those things and keep finding ways to score, keep finding ways to improve. And that's what we're trying to do. We don't score enough, but we're still creating a lot of opportunities. We have to be more efficient in those situations."
'Middlesbrough need to keep the teams below them at bay'
Sky Sports' Gary Weaver:
"What Middlesbrough did before this little dip was incredible. Winning six games in a row in the Championship is such a difficult thing to do. They are just having a bit of a wobble now, which every team tends to have in this league.
"This looks a cracking game ahead of Monday night at St Andrew's. The pressure on Middlesbrough is that Ipswich and Millwall are closing in behind them. Middlesbrough still have to play both of them.
"They are creating chances but were frustrated by Oxford. Leicester played a bit higher up the pitch than Oxford did at the Riverside and also frustrated Middlesbrough.
"As for Birmingham, there is no shame in losing to Millwall, but Chris Davies was not impressed with that performance. They have lost Jhon Solis to suspension, and he has been so important in midfield. Kai Wagner has injured his shoulder and has also been important since coming in. There is no natural replacement at left back and he is ruled out of this one.
"Middlesbrough need to keep the teams below them at bay, while Birmingham are trying to close back in on the top six. It should be an interesting night."
