Birmingham will be hoping to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season at West Brom.
Baggies take on Blues at The Hawthorns
Birmingham City will be hoping to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season against West Brom at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
Alex McLeish's Blues have yet to taste defeat in league action this season and were unlucky not to claim all three points in last Sunday's goalless draw with Liverpool.
West Brom have made a decent start to life back in England's top flight having garnered four points from their opening four matches, results that include a 1-0 win over Sunderland.
History is not on the Baggies' side as they have won a paltry one of their 16 Midland derbies although they are boosted by the fact that Birmingham are not the best travellers.
Blues have been victorious just once in their last 11 Premier League away games and have failed to win any of their last seven, giving West Brom hope of a second league success this term.
Baggies news
West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo will have Graham Dorrans back in his side for the derby clash.
The midfielder missed last weekend's draw with Tottenham and a week's training following a family bereavement.
James Morrison serves the second of a three-game suspension following his sending-off at Liverpool while Joe Mattock (foot), Ishmael Miller (thigh) and Marek Cech (foot) also miss out.
There was some good news for Di Matteo, though, with Mattock returning to full training this week and Miller also stepping up his comeback.
Blues news
Birmingham boss McLeish has been rocked by the news that James McFadden will be out for the 'foreseeable future' after sustaining anterior cruciate ligament damage to his left knee in training on Friday.
New signings Alexander Hleb and Jean Beausejour are both fit to play, although the latter will start on the bench due to jetlag and a lack of training time.
Hleb may still join him amongst the substitutes, as McLeish is yet to decide whether the Belarus international will start the game due to his fitness level and the team's impressive performance against Liverpool.
The Belarusian missed last weekend's goalless draw with an ankle injury and McLeish has been pleased with the ex-Arsenal playmaker's ability in training.
The match has come too soon for striker Kevin Phillips, who is back in full training, but not yet fit enough to face his former club. Stuart Parnaby has also resumed training.
Possible starting XIs:
West Brom: Carson; Jara, Olsson, Tamas, Shorey; Odemwingie, Scharner, Mulumbu, Brunt, Thomas; Fortune.
Birmingham: Foster; Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell; Larsson, Ferguson, Gardner, Bowyer; Hleb; Jerome.
