The West Midlands derby returns on 10 October 2026 as West Bromwich Albion host Birmingham City at The Hawthorns in EFL Championship Gameweek 9, with a 12:30 UK kick off. West Brom sit fifth with 14 points from eight games while Birmingham are tenth with 11 and three points here would move either side meaningfully up the table.
James Morrison took permanent charge of West Brom on 30 April 2026 after replacing Eric Ramsay, having previously served as interim from January 2026. Chris Davies has been Birmingham's head coach since 6 June 2024. The two managers have met rarely enough that their head to head record is too limited to carry any weight here.
West Brom's last five league results read L-D-W-W-D: a 0-1 defeat at Wolves on 20 September, a 1-1 draw with QPR on 12 September and a 1-0 win over Derby on 9 September. Birmingham's sequence is D-W-L-D-D: a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough on 19 September, a 2-1 win over Derby on 12 September and a 1-2 loss at Norwich on 9 September.
West Brom are without Noah Galves for the season due to a knee injury and must also manage without Taylor Gardner-Hickman. Birmingham have Paik Seung-Ho listed as doubtful after a knock on international duty, while Marc Leonard is not in the squad picture.
Under Morrison, West Brom have built their home identity around a low block that denies central space and invites opponents wide before pressing triggers kick in at the right moment. It has worked: they are unbeaten in 11 Championship fixtures at The Hawthorns. Jayson Molumby anchors the midfield, screening the defence while the full backs push selectively. Jimmy-Jay Morgan, whose movement off the last defender has already produced around three goals this season and Aune Heggebo are West Brom's two most likely sources of a goal from transition.
Birmingham run a 4-2-3-1 with Liam Millar on the left and Carlos Vicente as the ten, while Jobe Stansfield drops between the lines to link play. Five draws from eight league games tell you Birmingham are perfectly comfortable sitting in a stalemate.
If Molumby disrupts the supply to Stansfield and Vicente, West Brom can spring Morgan in behind, whereas if Birmingham's midfielders win the first ball consistently, Millar's overlapping runs become the more dangerous avenue. West Brom's compact shape at home should compress Birmingham's preferred passing lanes, which is where most of the meaningful action is likely to happen.
The most recent meeting, in February 2026, finished 0-0 and meetings between these two have tended to be tight and low scoring. Any dead ball Birmingham win will see Stansfield and Vicente positioned centrally, with Molumby's aerial presence the main deterrent for West Brom. Birmingham's draw heavy record suggests they are good at managing game states when level or behind, which could matter if this match stays goalless into the final quarter.
West Brom need the win to stay inside the top six going into the international break, yet their unbeaten home run has been built on that low block Morrison installed from January. Birmingham arrive with just one defeat all season and a draw for them would be a meaningful return on the road given only the five point gap separating the sides. The central question is whether West Brom can turn home solidity into an actual goal, or whether Birmingham's structured possession can produce the single moment of quality needed to leave The Hawthorns with a point.
A 1-1 draw looks the most likely outcome. West Brom's compact home setup and their 11 match unbeaten record at The Hawthorns should limit Birmingham's clearest chances but the visitors' five draws already this season suggest they are unlikely to lose this. Expect a Heggebo or Stansfield moment to briefly separate the sides before parity is restored, the kind of low scoring stalemate this derby has been delivering lately.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
