‘Unacceptable’ midfielder axed as winter signing changes role - Birmingham City predicted XI vs Shrewsbury

Birmingham City return to League One action on Saturday as they play host to the relegation-threatened Shrewsbury Town at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.

Chris Davies’ side enjoyed some much-needed rest and recuperation during the international break after an intense fixture schedule left the players running on empty. There will now be one last mad dash to the finish line, with the final 10 League One matches to be played over a period of just five weeks.

Revenge will be the desired taste this weekend as Shrewsbury are just one of three teams to beat Birmingham in the league this season. The Shrews ran out 3-2 victors in a thriller at New Meadow back in November and will have confidence they can become just the third team to take points off Blues in both League One meetings this term, after Reading and Northampton Town.

Shrewsbury’s win a few months back was a huge surprise at the time and even more so now as they are currently rock bottom of the standings, with just 28 points from their 37 matches. Birmingham won’t underestimate the Shrews given what happened earlier in the campaign but Davies’ men are understandably the clear favourites.

With several players sidelined through injury, Blues’ starting lineups have been fairly straightforward to predict lately. There could be some changes made this weekend, though, with many midfield and attacking players gunning for game time.

Birmingham City predicted lineup vs Shrewsbury

Without further ado, here’s the starting XI we reckon Davies will name at St Andrew’s.

GK - Ryan Allsop: Leading the League One Golden Glove race with 17 clean sheets despite playing far fewer matches than his closest contenders, Allsop will be eager to forget his rare mistake at Northampton.

RB - Alfons Sampsted: The Iceland international has started the last two games and impressed after announcing his deal will become permanent in the summer. Sampsted deserves to play again.

CB - Christoph Klarer: Immensely consistent this campaign, Klarer rarely ever drops below a seven out of 10. He’ll be a guaranteed starter next season too with Phil Neumann set to arrive as his partner.

CB - Ben Davies: The manager’s namesake has been sensational, forming a formidable partnership with Klarer. It’ll be interesting to see whether Blues sign him permanently or not.

LB - Alex Cochrane: He’s had to play a lot of football this season with Lee Buchanan out with two long-term injuries but Cochrane has adjusted superbly, locking down the left-back spot.

CM - Tomoki Iwata: Arguably good enough to fit in most Championship midfields, Iwata has been one of Birmingham’s star men this term. There’s no displacing him, even after his own goal before the international break.

CM - Paik Seung-ho: Paik scored his first goal of the season against Stevenage after Davies called for more involvement in the attacking third. He’ll be keen to add to his tally sooner rather than later.

RW - Keshi Anderson: The winger’s versatility has been really handy this season, with Anderson becoming a vital player for Davies. He’ll be hoping to carry over that form into the Championship.

CAM - Kieran Dowell: With Anderson back in the fold again, Dowell could shift central. Willum Willumsson, meanwhile, could drop out following an unacceptable, glaring missed chance at Sixfields.

LW - Emil Hansson: The Swede has been very hot and cold this term but could be handed an opportunity to impress with a host of attacking players currently sidelined.

ST - Jay Stansfield: Stanno was withdrawn from international duty with a knock but has been back with Blues and building fitness. The record signing should start ahead of Alfie May, who is currently enduring a 16-game goal drought.

In other news, Davies must address a worrying growing trend at Blues.