After suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bristol City last Saturday, Birmingham City will be aiming to get back on track in their clash with Reading on Wednesday.

Having squandered the opportunity to extend the gap between themselves and fellow strugglers Rotherham United to six points at the weekend, the Blues know that they will have to be on top-form to secure a positive result against the Royals.

Whereas Birmingham are currently 21st in the Championship standings, Reading are pushing for a play-off place this season under the guidance of manager Veljko Paunovic.

Set to play their first game without Aitor Karanka who left the club following his side's defeat to the Robins, it will be intriguing to see how the Blues approach this particular fixture.

Whilst a victory would boost their hopes of securing survival in May, they simply cannot afford to suffer another defeat with Rotherham looking to pounce.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the clash, pundit David Prutton has admitted that he believes Reading will beat Birmingham 2-0 at St Andrew's.

The 39-year-old said: "The Blues will be without a manager for this game after Aitor Karanka's departure on Sunday.

"I don't think it was too much of a surprise given the fact they are where they are in the table and the fact they've won just three games since early December.

"Reading will no doubt see this as a great chance to strengthen their play-off hopes, with Barnsley also on 61 points and Bournemouth battling just below.

"They seem to have put a February blip behind them and should run out pretty comfortable winners."

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

When you consider that Birmingham have won just one of their last five league games, they could be in for a tough evening against Reading on Wednesday.

Boasting the worst home-record in the Championship, the Blues are in deep trouble and will need to find a successor for Karanka as soon as possible if they are to avoid relegation to League One.

Having lost just four league games on their travels this season, Reading may prove to be too strong for a Birmingham side who are devoid of confidence.

However, if the Blues are able to produce a positive display at St Andrew's, they could use the momentum gained from this result to push on during the closing stages of the 2020/21 campaign.