Deadline day signings start as one key change made - Birmingham City predicted XI v Watford - gallery

Birmingham City are back in Championship action as they travel to Vicarage Road to face fellow promotion hopefuls Watford.

Blues gained a point in their last match having drawn 1-1 with Millwall with Jay Stansfield continuing his goal scoring streak, having joined on a season-long loan from Fulham. The Hornets meanwhile had a six-goal thriller with Coventry City in which Mileta Rajovic scored a brace.

It's been a slow start for Valerien Ismael's side who currently sit 18th in the league standings, and there will be pressure on his side to deliver all three points to lift the mood a bit. Birmingham don't have the greatest of records away at Vicarage Road, and have not won at their venue since April 2009, which was on their way to promotion to the Premier League.

Birmingham lined up in a 4-4-2 against Millwall, but 4-2-3-1 is the most used formation this season, and we expect that to be the formation used. An away side usually has to sit back and attack teams on the counter, and so the midfield battle will be key. Ivan Sunjic and Krystian Bielik have built up a strong partnership alongside each other and should they both start they will dictate the outcome of the match.

In his pre-match press conference, John Eustace admitted several players are ‘touch-and-’go’ for the trip as they return back from injury. Ethan Laird, Siriki Dembele and Tyler Roberts are all pushing for a place in the squad, but will the trio be able to make the squad?

Below we give our thoughts as to how John Eustace might line up his side, as he hopes to get his team back to winning ways following a positive start to the campaign. Flick through the pages, where we tell you our reasoning behind the decisions.