There are some big clubs from the Midlands playing in the Championship this season and four of them will firmly have promotion in their sights.

Wolves are currently the league leaders, with Aston Villa sitting in fourth. Meanwhile, East Midlands duo Derby and Nottingham Forest are just outside the play-offs. It’s not so good for Birmingham and Burton Albion who look set to be involved in a relegation battle.

Given the quality teams in the region there are many fantastic players and here at FLW we’ve tried to come up with the best combined Midlands XI. This is what we went for…

In goal we’ve gone for Sam Johnstone, who has been fantastic since making a loan move from Manchester United to Aston Villa.

At right-back, Andre Wisdom is a very capable defender at this level and has put in strong performances for Derby this season.

There were plenty of centre-backs to choose from, but it’s probably fair to say the West Midlands boasts the best two in the league. John Terry had been a rock for Villa before his injury and Willy Boly looks a class above for Wolves.

Another Wolves defender makes the cut, with Barry Douglas chosen at left-back. He is a real threat going forward, registering six assists already this season, that only Barrie McKay can better.

Unsurprisingly, Wolves dominate this team, which they ought to given the quality they’ve shown. A lot of that has been down to Ruben Neves and Romain Saiss. The midfield duo complement each other well and the Portuguese international is the standout midfielder in the league.

The attacking midfield trio brings our second East Midlands player, with Kieran Dowell included having excelled at Forest this season. His goals have been vital but he brings more than that with his quality on the ball a key aspect of their attacking play.

On one side of Dowell we have Albert Adomah who has been magnificent for Villa. He has eight goals from the wing and has emerged as the key man for Steve Bruce. Those goals are why he was chosen ahead of Ivan Cavaleiro who has also had a fine season.

The final attacking midfield position was an easy decision, with Diogo Jota arguably the best player in the Championship. It’s remarkable that he is playing at this level and he has delivered great performances on a regular basis.

Finally, Leo Bonatini will lead the line and again it was another straightforward choice. No Midlands player has scored more goals than him, whilst no player in the entire league has been directly involved in more goals!

Thoughts, Midlands fans? Who have we missed out? Let us know in the comments below.

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