Preview: Birmingham City vs. West Bromwich Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

Both clubs were victorious last weekend, with Blues managing a miraculous comeback at Swansea City, whereas the Baggies continued their excellent home form with a win over Coventry City.

Match preview

Birmingham found themselves 2-1 down - and undoubtedly lucky to be just one goal behind - at the half-time interval on Saturday in South Wales, with John Eustace's side heading towards their sixth-straight defeat in the Championship.

Eustace decided to depart from his trusted five-at-the-back formation in the second period and was treated to a vastly-improved performance from his men, although the tangible reward for that alteration was only secured in the dying stages of the match.

A pair of injury-time headers from Lukas Jutkiewicz and Auston Trusty turned the outcome of the clash on its head, with Blues heading back to the West Midlands with their first league maximum since the 3-2 victory over Reading before Christmas.

The full-time celebrations in front of a raucous away following displayed how important three points were for Eustace's side, who now sit 18th in the league standings and possess a seven-point buffer over the relegation zone.

Despite the fact that Blues conceded three goals and looked frail defensively - as has largely been the case since returning from the World Cup break - the manner of that victory will instil much-needed confidence into a group that continues to be tested by injuries to key components of their hard-working unit.

With interested parties in conversation with the club's owners about a potential partial takeover, Bluenoses look set to carry out their largest protests of the season against the current regime on Friday night, with the presence of the TV cameras giving supporters an extra incentive to get their opinions across.

Eustace has been keen to build a connection between the players and supporters during this uncertain period off the pitch, and it must be said the 43-year-old is doing a commendable job in very testing circumstances.

West Brom's climb up the Championship table since Carlos Corberan joined the club in October has highlighted the unquestionable talent within his squad at the Hawthorns, but also the managerial powers of the Spaniard in terms of imposing his style of play.

The Baggies have gone from 23rd in the second tier to the playoff positions in a matter of months, with Corberan winning 10 of his 13 league matches in charge - a record normally associated with automatic promotion.

If it was not for the disastrous opening to the campaign under Steve Bruce - paired with Burnley and Sheffield United's swift getaway from the rest of the division - Albion could genuinely be aiming for a top-two finish in the final 17 matches of their season, but it appears that ambition may be too lofty, with second-placed Blades 14 points better off.

The Baggies' remarkable upturn in form has not gone unnoticed in the upper reaches of the English game, with Leeds United including Corberan on their shortlist of managers to replace the dismissed Jesse Marsch, a link that ended on Wednesday night with the announcement that the Baggies boss had signed a new four-and-a-half-year deal with the club.

A close-range Grady Diangana header secured a 1-0 win over Coventry last Friday in the Black Country, a game that the hosts controlled and should have put beyond the reach of the Sky Blues earlier considering the amount of chances they created.

West Brom have now gone over 11 hours without conceding at the Hawthorns, a stark contrast to their early-season form under Bruce in which they developed a bad habit of gifting their opposition the lead in matches - especially on home turf.

Having added smartly to their squad late in the transfer window with the acquisitions of Marc Albrighton and Nathaniel Chalobah, Albion look like a team that are set to finish the season strongly and will be targeting a special day at Wembley in May.

Birmingham City Championship form:

L

L

L

L

L

W

Birmingham City form (all competitions):

L

W

L

D

L

W

West Bromwich Albion Championship form:

W

W

W

W

L

W

West Bromwich Albion form (all competitions):

D

W

W

L

L

W

Team News

Birmingham have welcomed three first-team players back to full training this week, with Harlee Dean, Troy Deeney and George Hall all in contention to play a part in Friday's derby match after periods out with injury.

The absence of 31-year-old Dean has been noticeable in Blues' defensive performances over the past month, meaning the ex-Brentford man may be hurried back into the side to partner Trusty and Dion Sanderson in a central-defensive trio.

Eustace has also been without another centre-back option in Marc Roberts since the start of January, with the 32-year-old still a couple of weeks away from action after pulling his hamstring in the home defeat to Middlesbrough.

Although the general trend of Blues' squad is that players are returning from knocks, Reda Khadra is a doubt for Friday night after picking up a slight hamstring injury in the victory at Swansea last weekend.

Jobe Bellingham remains unavailable due to a muscle injury, although Eustace still has a plethora of options in the central-midfield area due to the returns of the aforementioned Hall and Gary Gardner over the past fortnight.

West Brom will be without first-choice goalkeeper Alex Palmer until the middle of March after the 26-year-old suffered a knee injury in training ahead of his side's match against Coventry, with David Button set for a period in Corberan's side as a starter.

Okay Yokuslu has been Corberan's 90-minute man since taking over at the Hawthorns, and even though the midfielder was substituted after 60 minutes due to fatigue against the Sky Blues, he should retain his place in the XI alongside the energetic Jayson Molumby at St Andrew's.

Matt Phillips and Kyle Bartley are two experienced players that remain in the medical room for the Albion, with the former expected back in May after suffering a muscle injury against Chesterfield last month.

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:

Ruddy; Sanderson, Dean, Trusty; Colin, Bielik, Hannibal, Chong, Longelo; Hogan, Jutkiewicz

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

Button; Furlong, O'Shea, Pieters, Townsend; Molumby, Yokuslu, Albrighton, Wallace, Diangana; Dike

We say: Birmingham City 2-2 West Bromwich Albion

St Andrew's will be rocking on Friday night, and Birmingham will be hoping to earn back-to-back wins for the first time since October, but they can not afford to leak goals against a dangerous Albion attack.

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