Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney has encountered another setback ahead of their match against Southampton. Birmingham City will have to do without Juninho Bacuna for the upcoming game against Southampton, which is another blow for Rooney.
Bacuna received his fifth yellow card of the season during the match against Hull City on Wednesday night, leading to a one-match suspension. Referee John Busby issued the booking following an exchange of words after Bacuna’s sixth foul of the game during stoppage time.
The 26-year-old midfielder was making his first start under Rooney, having been left out of the lineup in the previous match against Middlesbrough. Unfortunately, he won’t be available for Blues’ first visit to St. Mary’s since 2011, where they were beaten 4-1, despite a goal from Chris Wood.
Krystian Bielik managed to avoid a yellow card in the Hull game, but he remains one booking away from a suspension. Birmingham City has six more games to play before the first yellow card amnesty of the season takes effect on December 2.
In addition to Bacuna’s absence, Rooney will have to cope without several players due to injuries. Lee Buchanan, Keshi Anderson, and Tyler Roberts are all sidelined until after the November international break. Alfie Chang, on the other hand, remains out for the long term after suffering an ACL injury in August.
Ethan Laird and George Hall both participated in training on Tuesday and might make their return in the coming weeks. According to Rooney, there’s an outside chance that Laird could be available for the match against Southampton.
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