The 11 players set to miss Birmingham City v Coventry City ft Jay Stansfield | OneFootball

FLW has looked at those who are likely to be absent from Sunday's local derby at St. Andrew's

The relentless fixture pile-up over Christmas and New Year in the Championship concludes this Sunday, with a full schedule of Championship fixtures commencing with Birmingham City's clash with Coventry City at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Both Chris Davies and Frank Lampard will be earmarking the 12PM kick-off in B9 as a crucial opportunity for three points, with Blues slumping to 17th in the second tier standings after a 3-0 defeat at Watford on New Year's Day, whilst the league-leading Sky Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Charlton Athletic.

The reverse fixture between these two West Midlands rivals saw Coventry emerge 3-0 victors in a statement success on September 27th, whilst Birmingham will be hoping to inflict revenge on their previous groundsharers and narrow the now nine-point gap between themselves and sixth spot after a dismal run of seven winless outings.

Both sides have suffered availability issues of late due to injury, illness, suspension and in one case, an African Cup of Nations call-up, meaning there are 11 players in all who are set to miss out on this local battle.

With that being said, Football League World has taken a look at all of those on an individual level.

Bright Osayi-Samuel

The first of seven absentees for Blues is right-back, Bright Osayi-Samuel, who is currently on AFCON duty with Nigeria.

Instead of gearing up for league action against Coventry, the 28-year-old's main focus will be the Super Eagles' round of 16 tie against Mozambique on Monday evening, after Eric Chelle's side topped Group C in the tournament.

Ethan Laird

Ethan Laird has been sidelined since the reverse fixture against Coventry in late September with a hamstring issue.

The full-back's timescale for a recovery has been particularly lengthy as a result, with Davies stating in November that he would be sidelined until at least February.

“Ethan is well behind. It’s February I think where he’s due to be back at that point of joining the team again," he said.

Christoph Klarer

Birmingham will also be without the services of captain, Christoph Klarer.

The powerhouse centre-back has rarely put a foot wrong in royal blue, but made a rash error in the final minutes of the 1-1 draw against Derby County on Boxing Day, and will serve the final match of a three-game ban.

However, he will be back available for selection starting with next weekend's FA Cup tie at Cambridge United.

Lee Buchanan

Lee Buchanan has been sidelined for over a year now, suffering an unfortunate ACL injury against Blackpool in December 2024.

The Derby academy graduate is entering the final weeks of his rehabilitation programme. However, as was exclusively revealed by FLW last month, the 25-year-old is expected to depart Blues on a loan basis at some stage in the transfer window.

Scott Wright

Scott Wright also suffered an ACL injury - the second of his career - against Reading in February, and has been sidelined ever since.

Much like Buchanan, though, the Scottish winger has been stepping up his recovery, although it remains to be seen what the future holds for him at St. Andrew's, especially with talks underway for Sunderland loanee, Patrick Roberts, to sign permanently.

Demarai Gray

On the opposite flank, Demarai Gray has been a revelation since returning to his boyhood club on a free transfer.

Davies feared that Blues will be without the quality of the one-time Premier League winner for the recent clash with Southampton, and he was also absent for the 3-0 defeat on Thursday at Watford with a calf issue sustained on Boxing Day against Derby.

“I wouldn’t be able to give you days or weeks on that one, but if you have to come off in a game you can anticipate a few weeks. I think it’s a knock on his calf," he stated.

As such, the Jamaican international is also expected to sit out the clash with Coventry

Jay Stansfield

The final potential absentee for Birmingham comes in the form of club-record signing, Jay Stansfield.

Despite Blues' overall inconsistencies, the England Under-21 international has continued his upward trajectory with nine goals in all competitions.

However, he was forced off in the 69th minute against Southampton with a dead leg and was in no fit state to feature in the matchday squad at Vicarage Road, with Davies revealing post-match that his availability for this fixture is uncertain.

“It’s a little bit uncertain. We will have to see how he is in the next 48 hours. We’ll have to see how he is tomorrow and the next day.”

Oliver Dovin

The first of four absentees for Lampard is Swedish goalkeeper, Oliver Dovin, who suffered a serious knee injury against Sheffield United nine months ago.

It has been an unfortunate period for the 23-year-old, who has had to watch a remarkable start to the campaign from the sidelines. He had set his sights on a return this month, but revealed to Swedish outlet, Fotbollskanalan, that he is still somewhat unsure.

“It's difficult. The plan has always been January. It depends on how the knee reacts in the coming weeks. But right now it's been up and down the last two weeks. We'll see. It's hard to say a time now," said Dovin.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden

Kaine Kesler-Hayden has often had to play a deputising role to Milan van Ewijk at right-back for City.

Unfortunately, the time the former Aston Villa man was deployed at left-wing-back against Charlton on Thursday, a second-half ankle issue forced him to be substituted, with Lampard revealing that it is too early to determine the extent, but he is expected to miss out on featuring against his old club's fierce rivals.

“Yeah, ankle, I think. But there’s not much more than that at the minute," Lampard said post-match.

Victor Torp

City will also be without the services of influential midfielder, Victor Torp, who was one of the scorers in the reverse fixture against Blues.

The Danish playmaker suffered a calf issue in the recent 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town at the CBS Arena, with Lampard hopeful that he will be back available for the M69 Derby against Leicester City on January 17th.

“He’s got a small calf issue off the back of the Ipswich game which will probably keep him out until Leicester," said Lampard.