Things have not gone as planned for Stoke City this season, with Alex Neil's inherited side sat in 17th place in the Championship with the winter World Cup break just around the corner.
A string of inconsistent results have seen the Potters win three and lose three of their last six games - with just one home win since the start of August also a real cause for concern.
In midweek they returned to winning ways with Josh Tymon netting on his return to the side to secure a 1-0 victory at Wigan Athletic.
Birmingham City have been a slight improvement on their hosts overall this season, but will need to maintain their own consistency for any chance of a push up the table in the months to come.
Former Potters man and current Blues boss John Eustace has seen his side lose just one of their last six games, but their poor start means they only sit in 13th position.
They held Millwall to a goalless draw at home last time out.
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Team news
Stoke
Tyrese Campbell has been diagnosed with glandular fever this week after missing his side's last two trips to Norwich and Wigan.
He will be unavailable for the visit of Birmingham and is likely to be out until the winter break.
Josh Tymon, Jordan Thompson and Nick Powell all started in midweek after recent lengthy injury spells, and all three remain fit and likely to play despite coming off with respective knocks.
Harry Souttar could also feature on the bench after coming through another appearance for the under-21s following his long-term knee injury.
Gavin Kilkenny (knee) and Dujon Sterling (ankle) remain sidelined.
Birmingham
Birmingham have no fresh injury concerns after the visit of Millwall but will still be without the services of Gary Gardner (calf) and Przemyslaw Placheta (shin) until after the World Cup.
Marc Roberts, Nico Gordon and George Friend are still featuring for the u21 side in their returns from respective long injury layoffs.
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Likely lineups
Stoke
Bursik (GK); Clarke, Wilmot, Flint, Fox, Tymon; Thompson, Baker, Powell; Gayle, Brown.
Birmingham
Ruddy; Sanderson, Dean, Trusty; Colin, Bielik, Hannibal, Chong, Longelo; Hogan, Deeney.
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Ones to watch
Josh Tymon
Tymon had a slow start to his Potters' career after joining from boyhood club Hull City at 18 years-old, playing just nine times in his first three seasons in North Staffordshire whilst having tough loan spells at MK Dons and FC Famalicao in Portugal.
He became a regular fixture in the 2020/21 season and has since established himself as one of Stoke's most important players and one of the division's most exciting wingbacks. He picked up three goals and four assists last season, and already has a goal and two assists this time around despite only being limited to five appearances.
Tahith Chong
Still only 22, Chong has shown glimpses of why he attracted the interest of numerous Premier League clubs whilst with Feyenoord at just 16. He subsequently signed for Manchester United and played 16 times in four seasons for the Red Devils whilst spending time on loan at Werder Bremen, Club Brugge and then Birmingham last season.
A dynamic midfielder that has played numerous roles for the Blues, he made 20 appearances and still managed to impress in an injury-hit last campaign. He signed a four-year contract at St Andrews upon his expiry at Manchester Utd and has notched four assists in 11 games this time around.
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Match details
Where is the game being played?
The game is being held at the bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
What time is kick off?
Kick off is at 15:00 GMT, on Saturday, November 5.
How can I watch?
The game will not be available to watch in the UK and Ireland but is available for purchase on iFollow for overseas viewers.