Birmingham City will be aiming to get back on track in the Championship this evening when they host promotion-chasing Swansea City at St Andrew's.

After making the perfect start to life under new manager Lee Bowyer last month by beating Reading, the Blues suffered a major setback before the international break as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat in their clash with Watford.

Currently only three points clear of the relegation zone in the second-tier, Birmingham know that will need to step up their performance levels this month if they are to avoid relegation to League One.

A replication of their recent display against Watford could result in a tough night for the Blues as Swansea have lost just five games on their travels this season.

Depending on the outcome of results elsewhere, the Blues could climb above up to 19th in the second-tier standings if they seal all three points today.

Whereas the likes of Neil Etheridge, Maxime Colin and Harlee Dean are all likely to feature for Birmingham, Scott Hogan is facing a race to be fit for the fixture due to an issue with his back.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of today's showdown, pundit David Prutton has admitted that he believes that both sides will have settle for a draw in what will be a well-balanced match-up.

The 39-year-old said: "We saw the two faces of what Lee Bowyer has to work with at Birmingham just before the break.

"The Reading win was great, but in the Watford game, it just got taken away from them by one of the best squads in the league.

"The break came at a good time for Swansea.

"They needed to have a bit of a breather because they haven't really been themselves for a few weeks now.

"This is a well-balanced game and they both need a win, but I think it will be a draw."

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

Whilst Birmingham's season will not be defined by the outcome of this clash, they will be determined to build some much-needed momentum heading into a hectic schedule of fixtures.

Set to play six times this month, the Blues know that they will send out a signal of intent to the rest of Championship by picking up a positive result against a side who are currently pushing for automatic promotion.

However, when you consider that Swansea boast the fourth-best away record in the second-tier, Birmingham may find it difficult to go toe-to-toe with Steve Cooper's side.

Therefore, in order to have the best chance of securing victory, the Blues may find it beneficial to try and exploit the Jacks on the counter-attack this evening.