Championship: Birmingham v Derby starts Friday's action; 11 games to follow
The good news for Birmingham City today is they are back at home.
Their 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United was their eighth defeat already on the road this term as they seek home comforts at Christmas time in their penultimate match at St Andrew's in 2025.
Blues have won 17 matches at home this calendar year and need one more to equal a club record achieved in 2000 under the stewardship of then boss Trevor Francis.
Their opponents this lunchtime, Derby County, battled back to claim a point against Portsmouth last Saturday and come into today having won back-to-back matches on Boxing Day.
The Rams have not claimed three consecutive victories on this day since 1958 but another three points would take the visitors to within touching distance of the play-off places ahead of today's 3pm kick-offs as head coach John Eustace returns to the club which decided to part company with him, to the shock of most Blues fans, back in October 2023.
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