Elliot Lee in: The best combined Wrexham AFC and Birmingham City XI | OneFootball

FLW has made a combined XI ahead of Thursday's blockbuster League One clash

On Thursday night, all attention will turn to North Wales as Wrexham and Birmingham City meet in a crunch clash at the top of the League One table.

Not only is this fixture set to have a huge bearing on the promotion race in the third tier, but it is part of a six-game deal between the EFL, CBS Sports and Cosm, as the game between the two sides who have huge connections across the Atlantic will be broadcast in 'shared reality' in Dallas and Los Angeles.

The reverse fixture was played out on September 16th, with the likes of Gary Neville and David Beckham in attendance alongside the likes of Blues' shareholder Tom Brady, and the Red Dragons' Hollywood ownership duo of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Chris Davies' side were able to recover from an early setback from Jack Marriott to emerge 3-1 victors, courtesy of a Jay Stansfield brace and Tomoki Iwata's first goal for Birmingham.

At present, it's the West Midlands side who are in the better form, having gone unbeaten in their last 14 games across all competitions, whilst Phil Parkinson's side have lost two of their last three, although they are unbeaten in the last 21 games at the Stok Cae Ras.

Ahead of what is set to be another pulsating encounter, Football League World has picked a combined XI.

GK: Ryan Allsop

Kickstarting this combined XI is the experienced head in goal for Blues, in the form of Ryan Allsop.

Both he and Arthur Okonkwo have enjoyed fine personal campaigns thus far, but the 32-year-old's presence has been integral in a run of just two defeats in all competitions so far this season for the Second City outfit.

Allsop was only given his league bow for his hometown club on October 2nd, and has since gone on to record 10 clean sheets in just 17 appearances, conceding just 0.5 goals per game in that timeframe.

RB: Ethan Laird

In a side which has been full of consistency for large parts of the campaign, Ethan Laird has personified that for Birmingham.

His efforts were rewarded on Saturday with a neat finish that secured a 1-0 victory against Exeter City at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, with the 23-year-old offering a strong attacking threat from deep due to his pace and dynamism, as well as being assured from a defensive point of view.

Laird has been dribbled past just 0.2 times per game across 18 league appearances so far, and that will be key in trying to deny the threat Wrexham pose from wide areas.

CB: Eoghan O'Connell

The first Wrexham player to feature in this side is Eoghan O'Connell, who has played a key role in the Red Dragons' strong defensive form.

The Irishman has been involved in 12 of his side's 13 clean sheets this term alongside the likes Max Cleworth and Tom O'Connor in a back-three, stepping up to the mark after an inconsistent season last term regarding regular minutes.

O'Connell has also registered two assists so far this season too, with one of those coming in the defeat in B9 as he put Bailey Peacock-Farrell under all sorts of pressure before Marriott's low drive found the bottom corner.

CB: Christoph Klarer

Alongside O'Connell is Christoph Klarer, who has emerged as one of the strongest additions Davies made to Birmingham's squad in the summer.

The Austrian has shown great composure on the ball which allows Blues to build up from the back, and has also formed extremely solid partnerships with both Ben Davies and Krystian Bielik in what is currently the league's meanest defence, having conceded just 17 goals in 24 games.

LB: Alex Cochrane

Rounding off a Blues-heavy defence is Alex Cochrane, who has also been a revelation since his summer switch from Hearts.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion man, like the aforementioned Laird, has been strong in both defensive and attacking play this season, which is the expectancy when it comes to signing a modern-day full-back.

Cochrane can so often be seen bombing forward to provide extra width in attack, with five big chances created so far, as well as his solitary assist for Jay Stansfield in the victory over Wrexham earlier in the season.

RW: Ryan Barnett

Ryan Barnett is one of the key reasons as to why Wrexham's direct approach has been extremely effective in their rise from the National League to League One.

The former Solihull Moors man accumulated a respectable tally of four assists and the creation of 11 big chances in League Two, but has continued to come on leaps and bounds as the North Wales side target a third-straight promotion.

Barnett currently leads the assist charts in the third tier with eight, and is joint-second when it comes to assists/per 90 with a tally of 0.34, proving why he has recently emerged as a target for Championship sides Stoke City and Preston North End.

CM: Elliot Lee

Next up is the creative force of Elliot Lee, who will be seeking revenge on the side who were linked with his services back in 2023.

The man who has made over 125 appearances for Wrexham has continued where he left off from last season - which yielded 16 goals and eight assists.

Lee has six goals and two assists to his name already, but has remained a combative figure in the centre of the park alongside the likes of Ollie Rathbone, who is also a seasoned performer at this level.

If the 30-year-old is to get anywhere near his tally of 12 goals and four assists in Luton's title-winning season at this level in 2019, you would imagine that Wrexham may be replicating such a success story.

CM: Paik Seung-Ho

Despite the fact he won't feature in this particular encounter, it's hard to look past the influential Paik Seung-Ho when making this XI.

The South Korean has also missed the recent games against Swindon Town in the EFL Trophy and the weekend victory over Exeter, but Blues haven't felt his absence as much, thanks to strong displays from Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Marc Leonard.

However, in the games he has featured in this campaign, Paik has shown an ability that is way beyond the current level Blues find themselves at, and it's no surprise that the Championship promotion-chasing trio of Sunderland, Leeds United and Sheffield United were all interested in the summer, given his composure and ability to glide with the ball or thread a pass through in tight spaces.

LW: Jay Stansfield

Wrexham would have been glad to have seen the back of Jay Stansfield after his exploits in the previous fixture, with Birmingham's record signing hitting a brace to help turn the game on it's head.

The well-documented fee and seven-year contract given to the 22-year-old in the summer highlights the potential ceiling which the England Under-21 international can reach. But, in the short-term, it has proven to be a savvy investment thus far too.

Despite sitting third in the league's goalscoring charts, it's more important to focus on his average of 0.79 goals per 90 minutes and average of just 115 minutes per goal, as Stansfield has only made 18 league appearances since re-signing in late August.

It's clear that, for Wrexham to gain any form of result in front of the Sky cameras, they must have to shut down the versatile frontman for the entire 90 minutes.

ST: Steven Fletcher

The last of four Red Dragons players to make this side is veteran forward, Steven Fletcher.

The 37-year-old has made the most substitute appearances in the third tier this season - 18 - but his impact on Parkinson's side has been second-to-none, as he is currently their joint-highest scorer alongside the aforementioned Lee.

Despite suffering a knee injury in October, Fletcher has found the net six times, with five of those strikes coming from mid-December onwards, and three of them being late winners against Blackpool, Wigan Athletic and Peterborough United.

ST: Alfie May

Rounding off this XI is the League One goalscorer extraordinare, Alfie May.

After scoring 66 goals in three seasons for Cheltenham Town and Charlton Athletic, Blues supporters will feel the reported £775,000 fee for the 31-year-old is one of the most impressive transfer dealings the club have done in quite some time, as he has continued his strong form in B9.

May has netted 10 goals in the third tier so far this season, despite a run of just 1 goal in 11 games between September and December, as Davies eventually settled on how to utilise him and Stansfield in the same XI from the off.

Like the other ten names in this team, the former Addicks man could be a real difference-maker to proceedings in North Wales, as Birmingham look to establish an eight-point gap between themselves and the Welsh side.