Coventry City and Birmingham City lock horns in the highly-anticipated West Midlands derby on Friday evening, with both sides stuck in the bottom half of the Championship.
Coventry put an end to a six-game winless run with back-to-back victories over Millwall and Plymouth at the end of last month. However, they were then beaten 2-1 at runners-up Ipswich Town on Saturday, dropping them to 17th, six points clear of the relegation zone.
The hosts have a lot of work to do if they are to move back into play-off contention again this season. As for the visitors, Birmingham are just a point and two places better off going into the clash.
It's fair to say that the Blues are now in freefall under Wayne Rooney's stewardship. They were flying high in sixth when John Eustace parted ways, but Rooney’s arrival has failed to kick them on to the next level, picking up five points from his eight games in-charge and suffering five defeats in that time.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Coventry vs Birmingham kick-off time
| Date: | Friday, December 8, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 3pm ET |
| Venue: | The Coventry Building Society Arena |
The EFL Championship game between Coventry and Birmingham City will be played at the Coventry Building Society Stadium on Friday, December 8, 2023. Kick-off is at 3pm ET for fans in the US.
How to watch Coventry vs Birmingham online - TV channels & live streams
 | ESPN+ | Watch here |
The match will be available to watch on ESPN+in the US with live updates on GOAL's Live Match Centre.
Team news & squads
Coventry team news
Fabio Tavares and Kasey Palmer are both still on the sidelines for the hosts with injury. Coventry boss Mark Robins is expected to make at least one change to the side that took to the pitch in the last game against Ipswich.
Josh Eccles and Yasin Ayari were pulled off at half time in that game, so the duo will be among those who could be relegated to the bench on Friday, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Matt Godden both vying for places in the starting lineup.
Coventry City possible XI: Collins; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Bidwell; Sheaf, Eccles; Sakamoto, O'Hare, Wright; Godden
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Wilson, Collins, Moore |
| Defenders: | Binks, Kitching, Latibeaudiere, McFadzean, Thomas, Dasilva, Bidwell, Van Ewijk |
| Midfielders: | Sheaf, Ayari, Eccles, Sakamoto, O'Hare |
| Forwards: | Wright, Simms, Godden, Tavares |
Birmingham team news
Birmingham defender Ethan Laird picked up a groin issue during the early stages of the Rotherham fixture and is a major doubt here. He joins a long list of injuries for the visitors, which includes George Hall, Kevin Long, Keshi Anderson, Tyler Roberts, and Alfie Chang.
Birmingham City possible XI: Ruddy; Drameh, Aiwu, Sanderson, Buchanan; Bielik, Bacuna; Miyoshi, Stansfield, Dembele; Jutkiewicz
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Etheridge, Ruddy, Jeacock |
| Defenders: | Sanderson, Aiwu, Roberts, Long, Longelo, Laird, Drameh, Oakley |
| Midfielders: | Bielik, Sunjic, Bacuna, James, Hall, Gardner, Khela, Miyoshi, Dembele |
| Forwards: | Burke, Hogan, Stansfield, Jutkiewicz |
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 29/4/23 | Coventry 2-0 Birmingham | EFL Championship |
| 17/9/22 | Birmingham 0-0 Coventry | EFL Championship |
| 15/4/22 | Birmingham 2-4 Coventry | EFL Championship |
| 24/11/21 | Coventry 0-0 Birmingham | EFL Championship |
| 30/1/21 | Birmingham 1-1 Coventry | EFL Championship |