Birmingham City are in Championship action again at St Andrew's as they welcome Sunderland in the EFL Championship.
Tony Mowbray takes on his Black Cats successor as for the first time since his departure in December, he comes up against his former club. Mowbray was sacked after 15 months at the Stadium of Light and was replaced by former QPR and Rangers manager Michael Beale.
Birmingham and Sunderland did business last month too with Alex Pritchard joining Blues for an undisclosed fee. He had been offered a new contract by Sunderland but did not sign it, and ultimately moved to the Midlands. He's unlikely to play against a club that he called home for two and a half seasons.
The two clubs seemed to be in the same market for players, and before he arrived in England, South Korean international Paik Seung-ho had interest from Sunderland. Callum Styles who joined Sunderland on loan from Barnsley meanwhile was said to be on Birmingham's radar. Dion Sanderson once played for Sunderland too, and made 27 appearances for them in the 2020/21 season.
Birmingham's win in midweek helped create a bit more of a gap over the relegation zone and they are now six points clear of 22nd-placed QPR. Sunderland lost to Huddersfield Town on Wednesday night and have had one day less recovery than Birmingham. Eight places separate the two sides and there is a 12-point difference between Sunderland in 10th and Birmingham in 18th. A win for Birmingham could move them as high as 15th whilst Sunderland could move in to the play-off places if results go in their favour.
The omens aren't good for Birmingham as they've lost their last three games against them which is their worst run since September 1997. Sunderland aren't the best travellers to Birmingham though and have won just one of their last nine away league games against them but their last success was their most recent visit which was a 2-1 win.
Tony Mowbray was in the dugout for Sunderland the last time these two sides met and guided them to a 3-1 victory. Will he be able to outwit Mick Beale? Here's the latest injury and team news ahead of kick-off.
1. Alex Pritchard - out
Alex Pritchard won't be facing the club that he left earlier this month. He picked up an injury on his debut against West Brom and has missed the last two games. Photo: Alex Livesey
2. Alex Pritchard - out
Tony Mowbray said on February 15: "I was watching Pritch in the gym today side-footing volleys on these big bands that they tie around their waists for resistance. "He’s getting there. His next step will be back on the grass and then back in the team.” Photo: Getty Images
3. Aji Alese - out
Started three successive matches at the start of the year after recovering from an injury but suffered a setback. He now remains sidelined.
4. Alfie Chang - out
Chang suffered an ACL knee injury in training back in August and he’s expected to miss the majority – if not all – of the season following surgery.