The next round of the Championship will not be rich in significant confrontations. The leaders and teams that are in contention for a playoff spot will usually face opponents from the bottom of the standings. In this case, the fight for important places in the long championship is almost more important than face-to-face. Southampton will meet the fourteenth round as the fifth team in the division, but last year's Premier League participant not so long ago demonstrated elements of deep instability. As such, picking up three points for the Saints is not as easy a task as it is for Leicester, for example. Birmingham approaches the meeting as a mid-table side, which for this club is more or less habitual "habitat". Bookmakers have identified the home team as favorites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.59 on their victory.

One of the tasks of the "saints" at the beginning of the season was to preserve the core of the squad, which failed to prove itself in the Premier League, but beforehand looked one of the best in the Championship. However, the serious rotation of Southampton's squad at a certain point strongly affected its results. If at the start of the season, the Saints picked up ten points out of a possible twelve, then the next four rounds lost cleanly, conceding an average of three goals per game. Southampton managed to equalise only in the last match of September, when they beat Leeds at home. Since then, the Saints have either drawn or won. The systematic collection of points has lifted the team into the play-off zone.

In the opening rounds of the season, Birmingham unexpectedly broke into the leaders of the standings, sharing first place with Leicester. However, after three wins in August, the team quickly returned to the level of previous years. This was reflected in just two points and a complete lack of victories in September. Birmingham started October with two wins before losing twice. Only one pattern can be seen in the deep elements of the club's instability - a complete inability to play away. Birmingham's series of defeats away from home already totals four duels. Southampton will dominate on the pitch and win the match.