Two months on from being relieved of his duties at the Stadium of Light, Tony Mowbray will take charge of Birmingham City as they face Sunderland at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on Saturday in the Championship.
Blues recorded a much-needed victory over Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night, whereas the Black Cats were unable to collect any points from their midweek trip to Huddersfield Town.
Match preview
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After three-straight losses across the Championship and the FA Cup - in which Birmingham failed to make the net ripple - Andre Dozzell's 77th-minute winner against John Eustace's Blackburn was met by jubilant scenes at St Andrew's on Tuesday night, handing Blues a vital three points in the race for safety.
The Second City club saw a host of clear-cut chances missed by the likes of Tyler Roberts and Marc Roberts before the Queens Park Rangers loanee poked home past Aynsley Pears, and there was a definite feeling of relief from the players and supporters alike when a first win in four was secured.
With Marti Cifuentes's R's suffering defeat at the hands of relegation rivals Stoke City in midweek, a Wednesday night victory allowed Birmingham to move up to 18th place in the Championship standings, six points ahead of the dreaded drop zone and just six away from 12th-placed Watford.
Making his full debut following his January arrival, midfielder Paik Seung-ho produced a classy performance in the middle of the park for Blues, with the 26-year-old showcasing quality and fight in equal measure as Mowbray aims to transform his side into one that can dominate football matches.
Birmingham have a poor recent record against Sunderland - losing three times to the Black Cats since they returned to the Championship in 2022 - although the North-East side no longer have the talents of Amad Diallo, who netted the winner in both matches versus Blues last season.
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Following the collection of seven points from three matches against Stoke, Middlesbrough and Plymouth Argyle, Sunderland hit another obstacle in their early days under the stewardship of Michael Beale, losing 1-0 at relegation-threatened - and managerless - Huddersfield on Wednesday night.
Despite dominating possession and creating an equal number of clear-cut chances, the Black Cats returned to the North-East empty-handed, with Matthew Pearson being the thankful recipient of a fortunate deflection, which allowed the right-back an easy finish to seal the points in the first half.
Although Sunderland supporters are sceptical of Beale's ability to bring Premier League football back to the Stadium of Light, the Black Cats remain just the single point behind sixth-placed Coventry City in the race for a playoff spot, but all of Norwich City, Hull City and Preston North appear to be in a better state of late.
After switching the Second City for Sunderland during the summer transfer window, Jobe Bellingham is likely to line up against his boyhood club on Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out St Andrew's - a sight he never had the pleasure of witnessing during his brief first-team career at Blues.
The Black Cats have been highly reliant on the goalscoring talents of Jack Clarke this term, with the 23-year-old netting 14 times in 32 Championship appearances while also providing four assists.
Team News
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Birmingham welcomed captain Dion Sanderson back to training on Thursday morning following an ankle injury, with the centre-back set to make the matchday squad on Saturday.
Alex Pritchard will not be able to pit his wits against his former employers, though, as the playmaker is currently sidelined due to a calf strain.
Natural right-back Ethan Laird operated at left-back at the expense of Lee Buchanan against Blackburn, and it is hard to see Mowbray changing a backline which kept a clean sheet last time out.
Sunderland will be without the services of both Bradley Dack and Dennis Cerkin on the weekend, with the duo suffering from hamstring injuries.
The Black Cats were dealt a major blow in December with the news that full-back Niall Huggins will miss the remainder of the season because of a serious knee injury.
Beale could make a number of changes from the side that failed to impressive at Huddersfield, with Patrick Roberts and Mason Burstow pushing for starts.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Drameh, Bielik, Roberts, Laird; Dozzell, Paik, Bacuna, Miyoshi, James; Stansfield
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Pembele; Neil, Roberts, Bellingham, Ekwah, Clarke; Burstow
We say: Birmingham City 2-1 Sunderland
St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park is set to be sold out for the first time in five years, with Saturday possessing all the characteristics of an enjoyable day for Birmingham fans.
Sunderland will improve from their showing at Huddersfield in midweek, but we feel that it will not be enough for a result on the weekend.
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Carter White
