Birmingham City will be reunited with former head coach John Eustace as Blues play host to Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday evening. Jon Dahl Tomasson left the Lancashire side by mutual consent at the weekend despite recording a 3-1 victory over Stoke City. Eustace then replaced him with immediate effect.
Back at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park for the first time since the FA Cup replay against Hull City on January 16, Bluenoses will be eager to give their side a lift after a painful 2-0 defeat away at Sheffield Wednesday. They’ll also be keen to say a belated thanks to Eustace as the 44-year-old never got a proper send-off after his sudden sacking in October.
Blues are desperate for a win to get their season back on track as the defeat at Hillsborough narrowed the gap to the drop zone to merely three points. With Wednesday direct rivals in the relegation fight, that result was particularly painful. A chance to bounce back awaits, though, as Blackburn - four points above Blues - are another team in trouble.
Tony Mowbray, who is still experimenting with a squad he's hoping to bolster in the summer, is likely to switch things up following the disappointment in Sheffield. Dion Sanderson isn't back just yet, so he won't be back, but other changes in defence and midfield could benefit Blues. With that in mind, here's the XI we think Birmingham will name.
1. GK: Neil Etheridge
This could be the final game Etheridge starts for a while as John Ruddy is expected back imminently.
2. RB: Cody Drameh
Drameh, who didn’t feature at all at Hillsborough at all, could be benefited by a host of changes elsewhere in the back line.
3. CB: Krystian Bielik
Bielik has transitioned to central defence under Mowbray. He’s still lacking with his positional awareness but his passing out from the back is better than alternatives.
4. CB: Lee Buchanan
Buchanan could move to central defence as Kevin Long has struggled in Dion Sanderson’s absence. Buchanan tends to drop into a left centre back position in possession anyway, so this new role wouldn’t be overly surprising.