Birmingham City are back in EFL Championship action as they head away to Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday evening. Wayne Rooney will be keen to guide his side to another victory after earning his first three points as Blues boss, at home to Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend.
Regardless of the dire position Wednesday are in, Birmingham will take great confidence from the result as it acts as evidence winning is definitely possible under the new manager. A tougher challenge awaits now, however, as Blackburn have won three of their last five and are on the fringes of the play-off battle.
Rooney is likely to stick with a fair few of his starters from the weekend but could rotate somewhat given the fixture congestion. There could also be some attacking changes due to a revelation that became apparent against Wednesday. With that in mind, here's our predicted XI.
1. GK: John Ruddy
Isn’t really at threat of losing his spot between the sticks, even with a more than capable backup in Neil Etheridge. | Getty Images
2. RB: Ethan Laird
It feels tough on Cody Drameh to see him resorted to the bench but Laird is undroppable on current form. | Getty Images
3. CB: Dion Sanderson
Moved to left centre-back against Wednesday and didn’t look as assured as normal. We reckon Rooney will swap his central defenders again. | Getty Images
4. BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 04: Emanuel Aiwu of Birmingham City looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Birmingham City and Ipswich Town at St Andrew's Trillion Trophy Stadium on November 04, 2023 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Graham Chadwick/Getty Images)
Made a mistake that led to a goal last time out and is struggling to adjust to the pace of the Championship but stays in the team while Long is out with a calf issue. | Getty Images