West Bromwich Albion host Birmingham City this coming Friday.
West Bromwich Albion midfielder James Morrison says he expects a tough game against Birmingham City as the Blues will be reeling from their recent points deduction, Birmingham Mail report.
“They’ll be a wounded beast after the deduction they’ve had and eager to put it right against a team pushing for promotion. It will be a tough game, one where we’ll have to be patient and take our chances when they come. They are a real solid team,” Morrison told reporters.
West Brom are currently fourth in the Championship table, seven points adrift of the top two and nine points clear of fifth-placed Middlesbrough as the Baggies appear set to finish in the playoffs this term.
Birmingham were 13th and still harboured hopes of an unlikely top-six finish, but their recent nine-point deduction for falling foul of Financial Fair Play rules now leaves them just five points above the drop zone.
The Blues were handed the punishment as a result of overspending. The Telegraph reported Birmingham posted near £49 million worth of losses over the past three seasons, well over the financial limit.
As a result, manager Garry Monk must now prioritise staying in the Championship as the clubs below them are scrapping for every point and will take the fight until the final day of the campaign.
Birmingham are in poor form having lost their last four league games in succession, and West Brom will be keen to pile further misery on their west Midlands rivals when the two meet at the Hawthorns.
West Brom’s last home defeat to Birmingham came back in 2005 during a Premier League encounter. Since then, the two sides have only met a further six times in league matches stretching over 14 years.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
