After a week off for the international break, Birmingham City return to play in the EFL Championship tomorrow as they travel to Stoke City (9:00am, no US TV). Stoke are 4th in the table but like the Blues they are coming off a loss in the EFL Cup (0-3 to League One Bradford City) followed by a league loss (0-1 to West Bromwich Albion, who are 2nd). Both losses were at home. Thus the two teams will be eager to get back on the winning track and it will be a tough-fought game on both sides.
The results were split last time around back in 2023-24, both teams winning away (1-3 and 2-1 for the Blues). The teams are more or less unrecognizable from two years ago, of course.
The status of Jay Stansfield remains questionable after his injury against Port Vale, but Demarai Gray should be good to go. There are no other injuries to likely starters.
Off the field, although the transfer window is closed, Birmingham City continues to look to make squad additions, even if they will be delayed at least to the next window. Most recently, there are indications they are working on a deal for Argentinian midfielder Emiliano Buendia, who is currently at hated cross-town rival Aston Villa. He had been on loan last season at Bayer Leverkusen but has slipped down the depth chart at Villa. A deal with Leeds United fell apart a few days ago for unclear reasons and the Blues are ready to snatch him up at the next opportunity.
For the immediate future, Birmingham City has 1 open slot on its 25-man roster, which means they can add a free agent at any time. The opening exists because 2 players with long-term injuries (Lee Buchanan and Scott Wright) were left off the official list. The rumors surrounding both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Dele Alli persist, but there are no actual updates on either potential signing.
