West Bromwich Albion return to action tonight as they face local rivals Birmingham City at The Hawthorns, looking to atone for their first defeat of the season against Stoke City last time out.

Despite this defeat at the bet365 Stadium, their superb record means they have stayed in an automatic promotion spot and will go top of the table temporarily if they win against the Blues.

AFC Bournemouth are currently three points ahead of Valerien Ismael's men as things stand, but the West Midlands outfit have a better goal difference than Scott Parker's side after thumping 4-0 victories against Sheffield United and Cardiff City this term.

 

 

They face a Birmingham City side who have failed to win any of their last five league matches, dropping down from fourth to 16th and finding themselves in the same sort of position they have found themselves in consistently over the past five years.

A win in this game would be a huge boost and send a statement of intent to the rest of the league - but after scoring just once in over 450 minutes of Championship football - is there any chance of them getting anything out of this match?

That remains to be seen - but we do have all the information you need to know ahead of this clash.

Latest team news

Key West Bromwich Albion duo Alex Mowatt and Matt Clarke are likely to be involved this evening, with the former recovering from the foot injury he sustained at the bet365 Stadium before the international break and the latter using the interval to build up his fitness after being on the bench in Staffordshire.

This will be a huge boost to the Baggies, who have looked strong with the duo in their side, although it's not 100% confirmed whether both will definitely start.

If they do, the midfielder is likely to retain his starting spot at the expense of Jayson Molumby, who will be gutted if he doesn't win his first start at the club. Meanwhile, Clarke is likely to replace Adam Reach to allow Conor Townsend to move back over to the left wing-back spot.

Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi will be the men to line up alongside him in central defence.

The visitors are currently enduring less luck with their injuries, with Neil Etheridge and Ivan Sanchez ruled out of this game despite the latter's return to training.

Matija Sarkic will continue to do a good job in place of Etheridge though - and may need to be on top form if he wants his team to come away with a point or three tonight.

They have no other injury concerns to deal with.

Is there a live stream?

Fans who want to view this West Midlands derby can watch live coverage from 7pm on Sky Sports Football, with this game also being available on Sky Sports Main Event. Analysis of the game post-match will be provided until 10:45pm, with plenty of time to dissect what looks set to be a fascinating tie.

Sky customers will also be able to view this game via the Sky Go app - and those who aren't will be able to see this clash via a NOW TV pass.

People that would prefer to listen to the match can enjoy BBC West Midlands' coverage of the game from 7pm, although this is a game that you may regret not seeing with your own eyes.

Still, you have a choice of listening to BBC WM or talkSPORT 2 for live coverage, so take your pick.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off at The Hawthorns is at 8pm tonight, the usual time West Brom home games get underway in the evening.

Although most teams in the EFL kick-off at 7:45pm for night games, Championship rivals Reading also have 8pm games at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, so they certainly aren't alone.