• Wrexham are sitting 15th on nine points after eight games

• Birmingham are only four places and two points better off than Friday's hosts

• Recommended bet: Wrexham draw no bet

Despite each spending big in the summer and adding some huge names to their squads, the Championship has proved to be a real step up for both Birmingham and Wrexham. 

The pair dominated League One last term, racking up 111 and 92 points respectively, but both are struggling to realise their pre-season ambitions, with Blues sat 11th and the Red Dragons 15th after eight games. 

Birmingham have the stronger squad on paper but injuries have ravaged the camp and they have been beaten by Coventry and held to a draw by crisis club Sheffield Wednesday in the past seven days, leaving them looking vulnerable for Friday’s trip to Wales. 

The latest Wrexham vs Birmingham odds are available on LiveScore Bet

Team news

Liberato Cacace, Andy Cannon, Jay Rodriguez and Danny Ward miss out for Wrexham, who will also assess Oliver Rathbone, but they are not short of options, with Nathan Broadhead and Conor Coady among the big names pushing to start. 

It has been a bad week on the injury front for Birmingham as Marvin Ducksch, Ethan Laird, Jay Stansfield and Bright Osayi-Samuel have all been forced off in the past two games. 

The severity of those injuries are not yet known but with Lee Buchanan, Willum Thor Willumsson and Scott Wright also sidelined, Blues may have to rotate heavily in Wales. 

The latest Wrexham vs Birmingham odds are available on LiveScore Bet

The stats

Wrexham are unbeaten in four games but have drawn their last two against Derby and Leicester.

The Red Dragons have lost just one of their last eight matches.

Birmingham have lost four and won only one of their last six matches across all competitions.

Both teams scored in each of last season’s head-to-heads.

Only three Championship teams have scored fewer goals than Birmingham’s seven.

Both teams to score has been a winning bet in Wrexham’s last four Championship games.

The latest Wrexham vs Birmingham odds are available on LiveScore Bet

Prediction

A total of 19 points separated Birmingham and Wrexham in League One last term but there are just two between the pair after eight games of the Championship season and, if anything, the Red Dragons are the side in the ascendency. 

Phil Parkinson’s side have lost just one of their last eight matches, avoiding defeat in each of the last four, and Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at promotion-chasing Leicester will have further added to their growing confidence. 

Birmingham, in contrast, were extremely poor in a 2-2 home draw with Sheffield Wednesday in their midweek fixture, requiring a 99th-minute Demarai Gray equaliser to salvage a point against the struggling Owls. 

Injuries to Stansfield and Osayi-Samuel made a bad evening worse for Blues and there is no guarantee Chris Davies can get his side back to winning ways at the Racecourse Ground. 

The pair’s last meeting finished level, so keep the draw on-side, but four losses in six games means it is easy enough to look past favourites Birmingham. 

Back Wrexham draw no bet at 21/20 with LiveScore Bet

The latest Wrexham vs Birmingham odds are available on LiveScore Bet