Birmingham City manager Chris Davies is grappling with a significant selection headache ahead of the crucial Boxing Day Championship fixture against Derby County at St Andrew's.
Defensive Dilemmas for Davies
The Blues are facing a potential crisis in the full-back positions. Ethan Laird is injured and Bright Osayi-Samuel is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, leaving the right-back spot particularly vulnerable. The situation worsened when left-back Alex Cochrane picked up a fresh injury.
This leaves Alfons Sampsted, who was considered surplus to requirements last summer, as the only recognised senior full-back available. Despite this, the favourite to start at right-back is Tomoki Iwata, whose natural position is in midfield. In central defence, Phil Neumann is expected to continue alongside Christoph Klarer.
With Cochrane out, the left-back role is a straight choice between Jack Robinson and Eiran Cashin. Robinson is seen as the more natural fit, but Cashin performed adequately in the recent defeat to Sheffield United and may be motivated against his former club.
Midfield Reshuffle Required
Davies has another major issue in the centre of the park, where Tommy Doyle is suspended. The ideal replacement to add combativeness would be Iwata, but his likely deployment at right-back rules that out.
This paves the way for a rare start for Marc Leonard, who has been unfortunate to be on the bench for a month following a solid display in the 4-1 win over Norwich City. He will partner Paik Seung-ho in a midfield duo that lacks extensive playing time together but must gel quickly.
Attack Offers a Glimmer of Hope
Further forward, the returns of Patrick Roberts, Jay Stansfield, and Demarai Gray seem inevitable. The final attacking slot presents Davies with a choice between Willum Willumsson, Marvin Ducksch, and Kyogo Furuhashi.
Given the manager's positive comments about Kyogo in the build-up to the Sheffield United game—a match the Japanese striker missed—the smart money is on him leading the line. Kyogo's relentless work rate and ability to create moments of excitement for fans could be pivotal, especially compared to the inconsistent Ducksch.
Predicted Birmingham City XI (4-2-3-1) vs Derby County: Allsop; Iwata, Neumann, Klarer, Cashin; Leonard, Paik; Roberts, Stansfield, Gray; Kyogo.
This team, born out of necessity, will be tested severely as Birmingham City look to secure a positive result on December 26th.
