Preview: Birmingham City v Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers travel to Birmingham City in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday evening for their latest league fixture.

With that in mind, bwfc.co.uk have picked out five talking points ahead of the clash.

1. Squad Update

Mark Beevers trained on Monday morning ahead of the game having been sidelined in recent weeks, while Luca Connell is due to undergo a scan on his calf after being substituted early on in Saturday's defeat to Preston North end.

Joe Williams however has been back in training for a week following his recent lay-off, with Jack Hobbs still out of contention with his respective injury.

2. Pay On The Day

Bolton Wanderers supporters will be able to buy tickets directly from the away turnstiles at St Andrew's Trillion Trophy Stadium.

Tickets will be sold on a cash only basis, and prices do not increase on the night.

Advanced sales directly from Bolton Wanderers are still available via the phone lines and in person at Bolton Central until 12 noon on Tuesday afternoon, subject to availability.

After this time, no sales or refunds can be processed.

Ticket Prices

Adults - £10
Over-65s - £5
Under-25s - £5
Under-19s - £5
Under-16s - £1

Please note, Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult and this service is not available to purchase online.

3. The Boss – Garry Monk

At 39 years-old, Monk’s managerial career is still in its infancy and it began in February 2014 with Swansea City on the back of a successful spell as a player in South Wales.

Initially appointed as interim player-manager by then Swans Chairman Huw Jenkins following Michael Laudrup’s sacking, he helped his side reach the Round of 32 of the Europa League and survive relegation from the Premier League with a game to spare, earning himself a three-year contract.

The 2014/15 season showed even more promising signs for Monk’s men and after doing the double over both Manchester United and Arsenal, Swansea City ended the season in eighth position with a record points tally.

A poor start to the 2015/16 however led to his dismissal, and by June 2016 he was back in work at Leeds United, replacing previous Head Coach Steve Evans.

The season he spent in charge at Elland Road certainly brought more positives than negatives, and his team finished seventh in the Championship.

Monk resigned as Leeds boss though following the climax of the campaign, and just two days after the club were taken over by Italian businessman Andrea Radrizzani.

Shortly afterwards, he filled the managerial vacancy at Middlesbrough, but his time at the Riverside Stadium was shortlived.

Boro were 12 points short of the automatic promotion places despite a win at Sheffield Wednesday, and Tony Pulis was drafted in to guide the team to the play-offs.

Birmingham City are the team currently employing Monk meanwhile, and to date he has done an exceptional job.

His first game in charge was ironically a narrow defeat to Middlesbrough, and although the Blues lost their next match at Cardiff City, he then guided his team to three consecutive victories, against Hull City, Ipswich Town and Wanderers before confirming their safety with a final day triumph against Fulham.

As a player, his career began with Torquay United in 1995 before a move to Southampton and after a brief stint with Barnsley, his 12-year association with Swansea City began in 2005.

The former defender racked up 270 appearances for the Swans meanwhile before taking to the dugout.

4. When We Last Met

Back in August of last year, Birmingham made the trip to the University of Bolton Stadium for a Wednesday evening clash under the floodlights.

The Whites were unbeaten in the league at that point having beaten West Bromwich Albion and Reading and drawing with Bristol City, and they proceeded to extend that run to four games with a slender victory over the Blues.

Josh Magennis got the final touch on Sammy Ameobi's cross with 73 minutes on the clock, with his effort enough come full time against Garry Monk's men.

View highlights from the game meanwhile by clicking on the video below.

5. Opponents' Current Form

Birmingham City currently sit eighth in the Sky Bet Championship league standings with 46 points from their 31 outings so far this term.

Winning 11, drawing 13 and losing just seven games, they are unbeaten in their last three league outings but did lose three on the bounce prior to that.

They also scored four times against QPR at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon, but had their blushes spared at the death in the capital as the R's Nahki Wells missed a spot-kick in stoppage time which would have levelled the scores at 4-4 - somewhat remarkable given that the Blues were 4-0 up inside 36 minutes.

Read Time: 4 mins