Blues return to home turf as they welcome Rotherham United to the St. Andrews Trillion Trophy Stadium on Saturday (3pm KO). Blues go into this game unbeaten in League competition this season and will be looking to extend that run past this weekend.

The last time Blues faced Rotherham, it was at the AESSEAL New York Stadium, on a blisteringly hot Saturday afternoon. Blues fans travelled in numbers and were in full voice, knowing that despite the 9-point deduction the EFL had given us, a victory would secure safety. Despite going a goal down, Blues responded with goals from Jacques Maghoma, Jota and Kerim Mrabti to turn the game on its head and secure Blues status in the Championship for another season.

Despite being relegated at the end of the 2018-2019 season, The Millers bounced back at the first time of asking. They finished second in League One behind Coventry City after the 2019-2020 season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Like Blues, Rotherham crashed out of the Carabao Cup in the first round to lower league opposition and won the opening game of the League season 1-0 against fellow new boys Wycombe Wanderers. They then lost a tight one-goal game at home against Millwall last weekend.

TEAM NEWS

Blues

Andreas Priesto missed the first two games of the League campaign with a calf injury; however he has now recovered from this and is in contention for the squad. Long-term absentees Jonathan Leko and Josh McEachran (Both ACL) are still unavailable. New signing Mikel San Jose, who joined the club on Monday, is not expected to feature in the squad.

Rotherham

Former Blues defender Wes Harding, who was sold to Rotherham for an undisclosed over the summer, should feature for The Millers against his former club. Defenders Clark Robinson (Quad) and Trevor Clarke (Calf) will miss out. Curtis Tilt has returned to training after a long-term injury but is not match fit, so will not feature this weekend.

What the Gaffers said…

Aitor Karanka

“I am expecting the toughest game so far, I have known Paul Warne (the Rotherham manager) for a while, how well he has done since he has been in charge. They are recently promoted but they were in the Championship two years ago, I played against them when we were in Nottingham and it was a tough game. They are a team that plays 200 per cent every game because they know every single ball for them is their life. We have to play with at least the same intensity.”

Paul Warne

“I think it’s a little too early to make a full assessment but at the moment we’re in a good place, the lads think we’re going to have a really good season and so do I. We go into every game thinking we’re going to win, we were hugely disappointed not to come away with anything at the weekend, but now we go into the Birmingham and Huddersfield games looking forward to both. It will be a big test for us, I really like Lukas Jutkiewicz up top, he is a massive handful, reliable and works really hard. I’m well aware of their strengths and it will be a tough game for us. Karanka’s teams are set up not to concede and they don’t get many goals against them. They limit you to very few chances, so we’re going to have to be very clinical and patient in front of goal. He’s got a lot of experience in his team who know how to get results.”

Current Form – Last 6 Games

Blues – D W L L L D

Rotherham – L W L L D D

Head to Head; Blues wins: 20 Draws: 11 Rotherham wins: 6

Last four meetings between Blues and The Millers;

Championship 22 Apr 2019 Rotherham 1 Blues 3 

Championship 06 Oct 2018 Blues 3 Rotherham 1 

Championship 14 Apr 2017 Rotherham 1 Blues 1 

Championship 18 Oct 2016 Blues 4 Rotherham 2

Officials

Referee – Andrew Madley

Assistant Referee – Derek Eaton

Assistant Referee – Steve Meredith

Fourth Official – Will Finnie

Focus Prediction

This is a tough one to call. The history of this fixture dictates a Blues win… but we all know what normally happens in those games!

However, I really think the Blues squad have a winning mentality this season – they have displayed that in both games so far this season and I think (or rather… hope!) that we will be too much for Rotherham. They will be a difficult team to break down, but I think that with our new attacking options we will be able to get in behind them and down both flanks.

Going to go for a 3-0 Blues win.

What are your predictions for the game? Let Us Know!