Birmingham are currently fifth in the Championship, and face a tough run of games.
Gary Rowett has used Birmingham City’s next opponents Newcastle United as an example as to why the Blues are not heading into a defining week for their season, the Birmingham Mail reports.
The Blues are currently fifth in the Championship but are looking to bounce back after suffering a surprise 3-0 defeat at home to Barnsley in their most recent game.
Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett
However, their task will not be easy as they face the league leaders and second place side Brighton either side of a potentially tricky clash with Ipswich in the space of eight days.
But Rowett has pointed out Newcastle’s recent results – they have lost three in a row, including two in the league – as proof that how they get on in the next three fixtures will not decide their fate this term.
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez
“It’s going to be a tough challenging week but I would like to think that teams look at Birmingham coming up and think it’s going to be tough,” he said, as reported by the Mail.
“I don’t think it will define our season. You look at Newcastle – do the last three games define their season.To test ourselves against some of the top teams will be a good week for us.”
The Magpies still sit at the top of the table despite their recent run, and their hopes of promotion have perhaps been aided by their EFL Cup defeat as it means that they are spinning fewer plates.
And Rowett will know that while the congestion in the table means that a poor return of points from their next three games could see them fall a number of places, that congestion may also allow them to climb the table just as quickly in future.
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