Daniel Feliciano

Sun 11 September 2022 17:32, UK

West Brom finally return to action in the Championship this week when they take on local rivals Birmingham on Wednesday night at The Hawthorns.

The Baggies have drawn three of their last four games and have so far managed to collect nine points from eight games to sit in 16th place.

But they head into the game in a good space and well rested, and come up against a struggling Blues side with the fans keen to make their voices heard in a local derby, but how will Steve Bruce line up the team? Here is how West Brom News see it going down..

In goal David Button has established himself as the number one at the club this season and despite struggling for form on occasion, there isn’t really an alternative to take his place so he’ll start again.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman got the nod at right-back last time out in the 1-1 draw with Burnley, but Darnell Furlong will be well rested and should be able to come back into the side as the starting full-back.

On the left Conor Townsend is the first-choice option for Bruce and his energy to go up and down the flank in both directions is a key cog in the machine for this team, so he shall continue despite the possibility of Gardner-Hickman switching sides.

In the centre Semi Ajayi is still out with the injury he picked up, so we should see Dara O’Shea and Kyle Bartley link up once again. Aerially they are strong, there is good pace and a good reading of the game too, making them a solid partnership.

In midfield the club are reportedly interested in trying to sign Tom Rogic on a free transfer, but he is unlikely to be signed in time for the game so Bruce will choose between Jake Livermore, Okay Yokuslu and Jayson Molumby.

Livermore’s status as an automatic starter has disappeared this season and Bruce is more likely to go with the Turk for his better defensive attributes, while Molumby’s energy and passing makes him a better match to go alongside Yokuslu.

Further forward the team has been picking itself recently. Jed Wallace has been in great form on the right wing and this extended break was probably needed for him more than most, so he should continue in the side.

In the number ten position John Swift has been good for the most part this season too, with his goalscoring threat and creativity providing a better option for the side than they’ve had in recent years since the departure of Matheus Pereira.

Karlan Grant has been occupying the striker role in the absence of the injured Daryl Dike but he could now move back to his more natural left wing role, where he scored 17 goals last season.

That’s because summer signing Brandon Thomas-Asante has joined the club and started his Baggies career with a late equaliser from the substitutes bench against Burnley last time out. That, plus the added training time should see Bruce give him a chance from the start.

Predicted West Brom XI v Birmingham: Button; Furlong, O’Shea, Bartley, Townsend; Yokuslu, Molumby; Wallace, Swift, Grant; Thomas-Asante

In other West Brom news, the club can still save a shocking deadline day if Guochuan Li puts his hand in his pocket