Birmingham City hosts Derby County in an England Championship fixture. Birmingham's recent home form has been strong, with four wins, one draw, and one loss in their last six home matches. During this period, they've scored 17 goals while conceding only 6, indicating a solid defensive record and potent attacking capabilities at home. Their home ground, St Andrew's, provides a significant advantage due to the passionate atmosphere. Derby County presents a contrasting picture, with a notable strength in away games but also the absence of key players. In their last six away games, they've achieved four wins and two losses, scoring 11 goals and conceding 6, placing them among the top teams in the league for away points. Their recent form includes scoring in six consecutive matches, demonstrating attacking consistency. Birmingham, facing a potential decline in offensive efficiency and anticipating Derby County's defensive approach, is likely to adopt a strategy of high-pressure pressing combined with set-piece attacks rather than a direct offensive approach. Set pieces have been crucial for them this season, accounting for 40% of their goals, with three goals from set pieces in their last three matches. This approach, though potentially creating threats, might not yield a high number of goals, making a high-scoring game less likely. Derby County's tactics are expected to be defensively oriented. Playing away against a strong Birmingham side, and given their history of losing their last five away games against them, the team with missing players will likely deploy a 4-5-1 defensive formation, focusing on counter-attacks. However, without their key attacking players, their counter-attacks may rely on individual efforts, and their away goal-scoring record is average, scoring only 16 goals in 10 away matches. This tactical setup, where Birmingham may struggle to score and Derby focuses on defense, could limit the overall number of goals in the match. The prediction is for under 3 goals.