Following a heartbreaking defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in last weekend's Black Country derby, West Bromwich Albion welcome another West Midlands rival to The Hawthorns in the form of Birmingham City on Saturday for a Championship clash.
The Baggies lost to their arch nemesis on home soil for the first time this century as they exited the FA Cup, whereas Blues were unable to progress past Championship pacesetters Leicester City in the fourth round.
Match preview
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West Brom suffered their first defeat against Wolves at The Hawthorns since 1996 on Sunday morning in the FA Cup, with goals either side of the half-time break from Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha securing the visitors' place in the last-16 stage of the competition in a contest that was overshadowed by unsavoury scenes in the stands.
Carlos Corberan's men have now lost back-to-back matches for the first time since the beginning of December, conceding four goals and failing to score in matches against Norwich City in the Championship and Gary O'Neil's Wolves in the FA Cup, representing the only time that the Baggies have gone two matches without finding the net this season.
Looking to recruit some attacking firepower in the closing stages of the window, Albion have signed Northern Ireland international Callum Marshall on loan from West Ham United for the remainder of the campaign, with the former Linfield man bagging 16 goals in just 10 Premier League 2 matches this season.
With fourth-placed Leeds United 12 points better off in the second-tier standings, West Brom's primary focus for their final 18 matches of the term will be to keep the top-six chasing pack at bay, with Michael Beale's Sunderland currently two points behind in seventh place.
After enjoying a nine-game unbeaten run against Birmingham between 2010 and 2021, the Baggies have lost the last four clashes with their rivals from the blue side of the Second City, with Corberan's men falling to a 3-1 defeat at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park earlier this term.
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Tony Mowbray suffered his maiden loss as Birmingham manager at the King Power Stadium last weekend against Enzo Maresca's Premier League-bound Leicester, but 5,000 Bluenoses - plus American owner Tom Wagner - travelled back to the West Midlands with their optimism intact despite the 3-0 scoreline.
Blues were in complete control of the fourth-round contest during the opening 45 minutes, with the likes of Jordan James and Keshi Anderson failing to convert glorious chances, and the visitors were made to pay for their lack of ruthlessness as Jamie Vardy, Yunus Akgun and Dennis Praet breached the Birmingham net in the second period.
Following the failed experiment of Wayne Rooney over a disastrous 15-game period, former West Brom boss Mowbray has brought bags of second-tier experience to Birmingham, who currently lie in 20th position in the Championship standings, seven points ahead of Queens Park Rangers in 22nd.
The 60-year-old is keen to transform Blues into a front-footed side capable of dominating football matches, and the club's January business has reflected those lofty ambitions, with Andre Dozzell, Paik Seung-ho and Alex Pritchard arriving in the Second City to provide extra quality in the midfield.
One success of Rooney's time at St Andrew's was the further emergence of Wales international James, who has filled out into a fully-fledged Championship midfielder since his first-team debut in 2021, attracting interest from Serie A side Atalanta BC during this month's window.
Team News
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After being cup-tied for the Black Country derby last weekend, West Ham loanee Marshall and Andreas Weimann are in line to feature against Birmingham on Saturday.
With Jayson Molumby potentially sidelined for the remainder of the term, the likes of Nathaniel Chalobah and Alex Mowatt will be afforded more game time alongside Okay Yokuslu in the engine room.
The Baggies remain without the services of Grady Diangana and Semi Ajayi, who are representing Congo DR and Nigeria respectively in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Daryl Dike suffered a minor calf injury in the final stages of January and missed the Wolves defeat last weekend, but the American could be back to feature this weekend.
Birmingham are set to be without centre-back Dion Sanderson for at least two weeks, with the defender picking up an ankle injury ahead of the match against Leicester.
Mowbray has confirmed that Seung-ho and Pritchard are available to make their Blues debuts at The Hawthorns, although fellow midfielder Juninho Bacuna is a doubt due to a knee issue.
Cody Drameh is expected to be sidelined for another week with a toe injury, increasing the pressure on Birmingham to manage the fitness of Ethan Laird following a number of injury layoffs this season.
Lukas Jutkiewicz is still out with a calf injury, meaning Jay Stansfield is the obvious choice to lead the line for the visitors on Saturday.
John Ruddy has picked up an injury since last weekend's defeat at the King Power, so Neil Etheridge will start in goal for Blues unless they can secure a new goalkeeper during the dying moments of the January window.
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, Kipre, Townsend; Yokuslu, Mowatt, Wallace, Swift, Fellows; Thomas-Asante
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Etheridge; Laird, Bielik, Aiwu, Buchanan; Sunjic, James, Miyoshi, Pritchard, Dembele; Stansfield
We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Birmingham City
Despite losing to Wolves last time out, West Brom showed signs of promise against their Premier League visitors and will be desperate to get back to winning ways this weekend.
Birmingham could have a different look to them with a number of January signings in line for their full debuts, and we feel that Blues will be able to earn a point at The Hawthorns.
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Carter White
