West Bromwich Albion will aim to end a poor recent run against Birmingham City when the sides meet in a West Midlands derby this Saturday.
The Championship fixture at The Hawthorns, kicking off at 12:30 BST, offers James Morrison's side a chance to rebound from a 1-0 defeat to Wolves before the international break. The team's next fixture after this derby is a trip to face Norwich City at Carrow Road on Tuesday, October 22nd.
Morrison has built a strong home foundation since taking charge, with West Brom unbeaten in ten league games at The Hawthorns under his management, recording four wins and six draws. That record will be tested against a Birmingham side who have drawn a league-high five games this season. West Brom's defensive solidity has been key, with the team conceding only 7 goals in their 8 league matches so far.
Birmingham's threat and Millar's form
Birmingham City arrive with forward Liam Millar in excellent individual form. "I've been involved in four goals in my last three Championship appearances for Birmingham," Millar said. He has one goal and three assists in that spell, directly contributing to all but one of his team's recent goals.
Their tendency to share the points is a historical trend; this is only the fourth time since 1965 that Birmingham have recorded five or more draws after eight league games. Manager Tony Mowbray will be looking to turn those draws into wins as his side seeks to climb the table.
Historical head-to-head
West Brom's recent record in this fixture makes for concerning reading, with just one victory in the last seven league encounters. That sole win was a 1-0 home triumph in February 2024. Overall this century, Birmingham have won just two of their 13 away league trips to The Hawthorns, with both being 3-2 victories in 2005 and 2022.
Currently sitting fifth in the Championship with 14 points from eight games, West Brom will be without the injured Nolan Galves and Mikey Johnston. The team's last meeting with Birmingham ended in a goalless draw in February, and they will be looking for a more positive result this weekend to solidify their top-six position, with the full schedule available on our fixtures list.
