There is nothing like a Midlands derby to resume the Championship season after a three-month absence.
Slaven Bilic's West Brom side welcome rivals Birmingham City to the Hawthorns looking to take a step closer to a Premier League return whilst the visitors will be nervously looking over their shoulder as they are just eight points clear of the Championship drop zone.
When and where?
The match will be held at West Brom's home ground The Hawthorns with kick-off at 3pm.
Previous meetings
Their previous meeting this season saw the Baggies run out 3-2 winners at St Andrews thanks to a late double by striker Charlie Austin. You have to go back to 2006 for the last Birmingham City win in this fixture when they won 2-0 in a Championship game.
The last meeting between these two sides at The Hawthorns also ended 3-2 as Jake Livermore rescued all three points late on in 2019.
Team news
West Brom will be without Jonathan Leko who was injured whilst on loan at Charlton Athletic and Nathan Fergurson for Saturday's fixture.
Josh McEachran is still recovering from his knee injury and will be missing. Pep Clotet has confirmed that two other players have slight injuries and will have late fitness tests although for tactical reasons he wouldn't confirm their names.
Last five matches
West Brom:
(D) 0-0 vs Swansea
(L) 2-3 vs Newcastle (FA Cup)
(L) 0-1 vs Wigan
(W) 2-0 vs Preston
(W) 3-0 vs Bristol City
Before the enforced break the Baggies had no win in three games in all competitions. A defeat to Newcastle in the FA Cup was no huge surprise but a loss to Wigan and a draw with Swansea leaves the Baggies one point behind league leaders Leeds.
Birmingham:
(L) 1-3 vs Reading
(D) 2-2 vs QPR
(D) 0-0 vs Millwall
(D) 3-3 vs Sheff Wednesday
(D) 1-1 vs Brentford
Pep Clotets side are the draw specialists after four draws from their previous five games. A pre-lockdown defeat to Reading will leave the Blues nervously looking over their shoulders but impressive draws against QPR and Millwall show that they have enough to earn points against the inform teams in the league.
West Brom will return with the knowledge that they need a few more wins to secure a Premier League return. Disappointing results before the enforced break will ensure that Slaven Bilic’s side will be motivated and I fully expect them to dispatch a struggling Birmingham City side.
Match Preview written by Ryan Day