Birmingham City continue their play-off push against relegation-battling West Bromwich Albion in the Sky Bet Championship.
Victory will lift Birmingham up to sixth in the table, whilst West Brom can climb to 19th with a win and four points clear of the relegation zone.
Team News
Phil Neumann is set to be ruled out for Birmingham after he suffered a muscle injury during their 2-1 win at home to Leicester.
Demarai Gray (calf), Ethan Laird, Jack Robinson (both hamstring), Alex Cochrane (ankle) and Lee Buchanan (knee) remain sidelined.
West Brom could be without Chris Mepham after the Welsh defender suffered a hamstring injury during their goalless draw at home to Stoke City.
George Campbell, Karlan Grant (hamstring), Tammer Bany (muscle), Krystian Bielik (shoulder) and Alex Williams (ankle) remain absent.
When is Kick-Off?
Birmingham host West Brom at St Andrews’s Stadium on Tuesday 10 February at 8pm GMT, live on Sky Sports Main Event in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Birmingham have lost just one of their last six meetings against West Brom (W4, D1, L1).
- West Brom have won one of their last five visits to Birmingham (W1, D1, L3).
- Birmingham have kept clean sheets in two of their last three home games against West Brom (W3).
- No Birmingham player has this season created more shots on target than Jay Stansfield, with the forward having created 21 shots on target in 29 appearances.
- Callum Styles has picked up more yellow card bookings than any other West Brom player this season, having been yellow carded seven times in 30 appearances.
Prediction
Although they’re unbeaten in their last five league games, they took draws in two of those games but they realistically need to be winning consistently if want a play-off spot such is the tight pack at present, so a proper clean display is needed if they’re to put the pressure on their rivals.
West Brom meanwhile are now winless in seven and flirting dangerously close to the relegation zone but got their first clean sheet under Eric Ramsay in a tight goalless draw against Stoke, but they ideally need to start putting a winning run together if want to move away from the drop.
Birmingham though hasn’t exactly been a happy hunting ground for the Baggies and on current form, it’s hard to see that continuing unless they score first and the hosts have an off day with one eye on their FA Cup tie against Leeds so a draw might be a reasonable guess.
Prediction: Birmingham 1-1 WBA
Result: Birmingham 0-0 WBA
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