Although it’s a derby match, this encounter is a story of two contrasts. Birmingham can boast excellent home form, while West Brom have been absolutely dire on the road. Birmingham have the 4th-best home form in the division, picking up 30 points from 15 games, while West Brom have managed just 10 points from 16 games, putting them 23rd in the away league table.

Since Ryan Mason was relieved of his duties in early January, West Brom have gone five league games without a win. There certainly hasn’t been a honeymoon period for new boss Eric Ramsey. A more pressing concern has been their recent attacking output. In their 3-0 defeat to Portsmouth, they recorded just 0.09 xG, and in their 0-0 draw against Stoke, they registered just 0.38 xG.

These are definitely gloomy times for the Baggies. Birmingham’s strength at home is exemplified by the factthat they’ve lost just one match this season.

There should be an extra aggression and excitement in the air ahead of this one; derby matches can often increase the intensity of the collisions and tensions on the pitch, which can be conducive to yellow cards.

Indeed, recent numbers away from home suggest the visitors could rack up a few cards here. West Brom have now received 2+ cards in six of their last seven away games. Their recent averages are also big; they’ve received 18 yellows and 1 red card during that seven-game stretch.

With players such as Jayson Molumby, Nat Phillips, and Chris Mepham, they have many players who are common candidates for a card. Taking into account their recent card averages, intertwined with the enormity of the occasion, and compounded by their desperate position in the league, it’s plausible to think the visitors will end up having 2+ cards.

Despite an injury earlier in the campaign, Birmingham’s focal point in the attacking third has been producing some very promising numbers recently. He’s now found the net five times in his last seven games.

Ducksch has been very efficient with his shooting, 46% of his 35 shots in the Championship have hit the target. He’s clearly picking the ball up in fairly decent positions, and this is exemplified by 32 of those efforts being inside the box. Many of these efforts have also been in and around the six-yard box.

In their current predicament and based on their recent form, it’s difficult to envisage West Brom being defensively compact and sturdy. Birmingham are a possession-based team; they should be looking to dominate this game in terms of territory, and that pressure should create opportunities for their main striker to have some attempts at goal.

Birmingham are a completely different proposition in home matches, showcased by the fact they average 18.4 shots per game at St Andrews, and just 10.7 shots in away matches.

Objectively speaking, Price doesn’t commit many fouls, only averaging 0.69 fouls per 90 this season, but recent data paints a different story. Price has committed seven fouls in his last five appearances; he committed a foul in four of those matches.

There’s a good chance West Brom will be chasing the ball for long periods on Tuesday night, and this will require high levels of work rate from their attacking players, potentially increasing the likelihood of some petulance as they become frustrated.

There’s a possibility Price will be on the same side of the pitch as Birmingham wideman Ibrahim Osman, the recent recruit for Auxerre. He is a very capable ball carrier and blessed with plenty of pace; there’s no surprise he’s already picking up 2.7 fouls per 90 in a Birmingham shirt.

Given the high-stakes nature of the fixture, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see plenty of early fouls. This could leave attacking players liable to make fouls if they are overly exuberant and aggressive with their pressing off the ball.