Troy Deeney starts: The predicted Birmingham City XI to face Fulham tomorrow | OneFootball

Birmingham City are back in action tomorrow when they welcome promotion favourites Fulham to St. Andrew’s.

Lee Bowyer’s side picked up a 2-0 victory against Derby County last time out to continue their positive start to the season, with Blues hoping to sustain a push for the play-off places this season.

However, it will be tough against the Cottagers, with Marco Silva’s side having played some brilliant football in the early stages of the campaign. Nevertheless, they were beaten by Blackpool over the weekend, so Birmingham will be confident they can get something. And, here we look at the XI we expect Bowyer to go with…

Defensively, Blues have been excellent this season, which means you can’t expect any changes at all.

That means Matija Sarkic continues in goal, with the reliable defensive trio of Marc Roberts, Harlee Dean and Kristian Pedersen, who will need to be at their best to stop Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Maxime Colin and Jeremie Bela will be expected to provide the width, and it’s crucial they don’t get pinned back at all times, ensuring Blues can be a threat.

In midfield, Gary Gardner may be pushing for a recall but the form of Ivan Sunjic and Ryan Woods makes them hard to drop, although a change in the engine room can’t be ruled out as Blues prepare for a hectic schedule.

20 quiz questions about Birmingham City’s 2021/22 season so far – Can you score full marks?

1 of 20

What was the score on the opening day of the season?

0-1

0-2

1-1

2-1

In the attacking midfield position, Tahith Chong has already made the position his own, with the Manchester United loanee undoubtedly one of Blues’ best players this season. He was given a hard time by the Rams last time out, which proves he’s already been recognised as the chief threat.

With the team having played well last time out, the only real major headache for Bowyer is going to come up top, with Troy Deeney pushing to start. He will be itching to get in the XI from the off and Bowyer could give him the chance, with Lukas Jutkiewicz taking the role of impact sub for tomorrow.

Deeney should partner Scott Hogan, who will look to score in back-to-back games.

Thoughts? What XI would you go with? Let us know in the comments below.