Bruce must now unleash "unplayable" £720k-rated WBA gem today, he'll scare BCFC - opinion

West Bromwich Albion travel the short distance across the midlands to St Andrew’s today to face Birmingham City in an exciting local derby.

The Baggies still have an outside chance of sneaking into the play-offs but know anything other than victory will likely put them out of the running.

But with five of their eight games left being at home, they have a huge advantage.

They went into the international break on the back of a four-game unbeaten run and will hope to continue that against the Blues who have only won one in their last six.

There’s good news heading into the game with Andy Carroll returning from injury having suffered a slight knock before the international break.

Bringing Carroll back into the side will provide a different test for Birmingham City with him being described as “unplayable” by former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips.

The 33-year-old striker will be hungry to impress and deserves the chance having only started three times since moving to the Hawthorns in January.

Carroll would fit perfectly in a front three alongside Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson who have forged an expert partnership this season, scoring 20 times between them.

The former England international has proved time and time again that when he is fit he can be relied on and when it comes to aerial battles and holding the ball up. He has won a mighty 6.7 aerial duels per game in 2021/22 for the Baggies and 5.8 per match throughout his career so you’d struggle to find anyone better.

Those statistics make for eye-catching reading and demonstrate why he could terrify the Blues’ defence on Sunday afternoon.

He can also lean on the bags of Premier League experience he has, including two stints at his boyhood club Newcastle, most recently