Birmingham City are on home soil for the second time in four days as they take on Bristol City in the Sky Bet Championship on Friday night. Wayne Rooney will be desperate for a better performance after a disastrous Boxing Day as Blues were humbled by Stoke City at St Andrew’s, losing 3-1.
The scoreline flattered Birmingham as the defensive performance was one of the worst yet of the new managerial era. Rooney would probably favour changing things up across his back four in response to Tuesday’s result, but injuries to Lee Buchanan, Ethan Laird, Cody Drameh and Kevin Long make that near-on impossible.
There could be some switches in midfield and attack, though, with several players making their returns over recent days. With that in mind, here’s the starting XI we think Rooney could go with – including a controversial midfield pick and a risky attacking choice.
1. GK: John Ruddy
Ruddy isn’t the best suited to Rooney’s desire to play out from the back but remains the first choice goalkeeper.
2. RB: Emanuel Aiwu
Aiwu has been in really poor form, it has to be said, but he will probably continue to play with Cody Drameh still a big doubt with an ankle issue.
3. CB: Marc Roberts
Roberts, much like the rest of Birmingham’s defence, was poor against Stoke. If Kevin Long was back, he’d probably rotate in, but he’s still sidelined. Roberts stays in for now.
4. CB: Dion Sanderson
The skipper will be devastated with how Boxing Day went, especially as his own performance was below par. Now’s the time to put right the wrongs.