Birmingham City are looking to claw their way back up the Championship when they visit West Bromwich Albion on Friday.
Birmingham have fallen to within five points of the relegation zone after losing four games in a row and being deducted nine points for breaking financial rules.
But Garry Monk's team face a difficult task in overcoming a West Brom team sitting comfortably in fourth place and hoping to push for an automatic promotion spot.
| Game | West Brom vs Birmingham City |
| Date | Friday, March 29 |
| Time | 8pm GMT / 4pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be streamed via ESPN+.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | ESPN+ |
In the UK, the game will be shown on Sky Sports Football and Main Event and can be streamed through the Sky Go app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Football / Sky Sports Main Event | Sky Go |
Squads & Team News
| Position | West Brom squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Johnstone, Myhill |
| Defenders | Gibbs, Dawson, Holgate, Hegazi, Bartley, Townsend, Mears, Fitzwater, Adarabioyo |
| Midfielders | Montero, Phillips, Johansen, Livermore, Brunt, Morrison, Barry, Hoolahan, Murphy, |
| Forwards | Gayle, Rodriguez, Sako, Robson-Kanu, Leko |
Kieran Gbbs and Tosin Adarabioyo are available again after returning to training last week, while Matt Phillips may be back in the team after missing the last two matches with an ankle problem.
Potential West Brom starting XI: Johnstone, Holgate, Dawson, Hegazi, Gibbs, Morrison, Brunt, Johansen, Edwards, Rodriguez, Gayle.
| Position | Birmingham City squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Camp, Trueman |
| Defenders | Pedersen, Roberts, Colin, Dean, Cogley, Morrison, Harding |
| Midfielders | Kieftenbeld, Mahoney, C. Gardner, Adams, Mrabti, Maghoma, G. Gardner, Jota, Davis, Lakin |
| Forwards | Jutkiewicz, Vassell, Lubala |
Birmingham defender Maxime Colin is struggling with a hamstring injury and is a doubt for this game, while 19-year-old midfielder Charlie Larkin could be back in the team after returning to training.
Potential Birmingham starting XI: Camp, Harding, Dean, Morrison, Pederson, Mahoney, Gardner, Kieftenbeld, Maghoma, Adams, Jutkiewicz.
Betting & Match Odds
Home side West Brom are slight favourites to win the match at 3/4 with bet365. Birmingham can be backed at 15/4 and a draw is priced at 13/5.
Match Preview
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It has been 13 years since West Brom last lost to Birmingham in a competitive fixture and the playoff contenders will be confident of continuing their recent dominance over their struggling neighbours.
Although the Baggies recently sacked coach Darren Moore following a run of poor results, they have bounced back with two wins under caretaker boss James Shan.
The former West Brom Under 21s manager had been given the role on a match-by-match basis initially, but it was reported this week that the club will give him the job until the end of the season.
According to left-back Conor Townsend, the 40-year-old has made a big impression on his squad.
"I think it’s always tough when a manager leaves somewhere but I think we’ve reacted pretty well," said Townsend. "To get two good wins off the back of it has been good for everyone’s morale around the place.
"We know Jimmy, he’s been around the place all year and the young lads know him from years gone by. Everyone’s enjoyed it, everyone’s took to his training and got on with it. Hopefully, we’ve repaid him with the performances in the last couple of games."
While West Brom still have an outside chance of breaking into the top two, Friday's visitors find themselves in a gloomy situation. Birmingham have fallen towards the relegation zone after losing their last four games and being deducted nine points for breaking profitability and sustainability rules.
Birmingham boss Monk has admitted his side are in a "sticky patch" that they need to escape, but the persistent individual errors and defensive mistakes have undermined his team in recent losses to Preston, Millwall and Aston Villa.
