PREVIEW | West Bromwich vs Birmingham City - team news, lineups, predictions | OneFootball

West Bromwich host Birmingham City at The Hawthorns on Wednesday in matchweek 17 of the Championship, with the game live on Sky Sports Football at 8pm.

The Baggies sit 17th with 21 points and will be looking to bounce back after a narrow 3-2 defeat at Coventry City. Ryan Mason’s side will be eager to put their recent away-day struggles behind them, especially against local rivals.

Birmingham, meanwhile, are ninth with 24 points and arrive in confident mood following a commanding 4-1 win over Norwich. Chris Davies’s team will aim to continue their strong form on the road.

The last meeting between the sides ended in a 1-0 win for West Brom, setting the scene for a tight and competitive midweek clash.

The Fan Zone

AllAlbionFans (AllAlbionFans): This one is tough to predict. Blues are flying at home having scored four goals in each of their last three games but on the road only Sheffield United have lost more games.

We were flying at the CBS Arena until we went down to 10 men. We’ve shown we can go toe-to-toe with anyone. It’s when teams sit back that we can struggle, but I don’t expect the Blues to do that.

Molumby is suspended but apart from Wallace we have a full squad to choose from. Heggebo is hitting some form with three goals in two matches and Johnston is building those assists.

Despite a lot of Albion fans feeling negative at the moment, we’ve only lost to Derby County at The Hawthorns in the last seven 1/2 months.

This one might look like a draw but both sides have only shared the points 3 times this season. I’m backing the Baggies to walk way with the maximum haul.

Prediction: 2-1

George Revell (Blues Focus): At the end of a momentous week for the club - which included the unveiling of their 62,000-seater new ‘Powerhouse’ stadium’s design - Birmingham City celebrated their 150th anniversary with a thumping 4-1 win over Norwich City at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park last time out.

Partners-in-crime Marvin Ducksch and Jay Stansfield were both at the double as Blues scored four goals for their third home game running. Ironically, the 12 goals they’ve scored in their last three home games matches the number of chimneys that will surround Blues’ new stadium.

Blues have found their feet in front of goal now and, in West Bromwich Albion, they come up against a side who could be lacking in confidence after throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at Coventry City on Saturday.

I don’t see any reason why, barring any new injuries, Chris Davies should change his XI.

James Beadle is getting better every week between the sticks, and Tomoki Iwata has gone from makeshift right-back to one of the best in the Championship.

Tommy Doyle is running the show in midfield, and the front four have combined superbly in recent weeks.

Blues’ away record isn’t what they want it to be at the moment, but I see no reason why they can’t take all three points at The Hawthorns if they play even half the quality of football they’ve produced at home lately.

I’ll back Blues’ new-found deadly duo to strike again.

Prediction: 1-2

Predicted lineups

West Bromwich: Josh Griffiths, Alfie Gilchrist, Nathaniel Phillips, Chris Mepham, Callum Styles, Alex Mowatt, Ousmane Diakité, Mikey Johnston, Isaac Price, Karlan Grant, Aune Heggebo

Birmingham City: James Beadle, Tomoki Iwata, Phil Neumann, Christoph Klarer, Alex Cochrane, Marc Leonard, Tommy Doyle, Patrick Roberts, Jay Stansfield, Demarai Gray, Marvin Ducksch

Unavailable

West Bromwich

Birmingham City

Last starting XIs

West Bromwich ( vs Coventry City 2025-11-22): Josh Griffiths, George Campbell, Chris Mepham, Nathaniel Phillips, Charlie Taylor, Alex Mowatt, Jayson Molumby, Mikey Johnston, Isaac Price, Karlan Grant, Aune Heggebo

Birmingham City ( vs Norwich City 2025-11-22): James Beadle, Tomoki Iwata, Christoph Klarer, Phil Neumann, Alex Cochrane, Marc Leonard, Tommy Doyle, Patrick Roberts, Jay Stansfield, Demarai Gray, Marvin Ducksch