Birmingham City v Sheffield Wednesday: The lowdown on Pep Clotet's in-form Blues side

Monk, under pressure after overseeing just one win in 10 Championship outings, spent 15 months at St Andrew’s before he was sacked in June of last year.

He was replaced by his former Blues and Swansea City assistant Pep Clotet, whose hand he refused to shake before the two sides met at Hillsborough in November.

Speaking at the time, Monk said he was no longer on speaking terms with the Spaniard and revealed it was ‘an error in judgement from myself’ in deciding to work with Clotet.

The Blues, meanwhile, are level on points with Wednesday in mid-table but haven’t lost in all competitions since New Year’s Day and have chalked up impressive wins over promotion-chasing Nottingham Forest and Bristol City in recent weeks.

So, who are the players which make Birmingham tick and what reaction will Monk receive from the St Andrew’s faithful on Saturday?

Birmingham Live’s Brian Dick has all the answers as he gives us the lowdown on the in-form Blues.

How would you describe Birmingham's season so far?

It's been a season of ever-shifting sands, which slightly surprisingly seems to have found a modicum of stability. The summer's upheaval meant the campaign started shrouded in uncertainty over caretaker management and playing style.

It took a couple of months to find what looked like a way forward then new signings were made in October/November and had to integrated into a team which simultaneously lost key defenders to injury.

By New Year's Day it all looked a bit gloomy - but with the return of aforementioned centre-halves things have improved massively and things are as stable as they have been since August. It'll only take one striker injury though and it'll get hard again.

Who have been the stand out performers for the Blues?

Lukas Jutkiewicz continues to be the most regular source of goals - and he's had a decent 2020 with the style adapted to his skill-set and the arrival of Scott Hogan.

It's difficult not to talk about Jude Bellingham, which I'll do below - and Jeremie Bela has come in and shown himself to be a really shrewd free transfer.

Jake Clarke-Salter looks to be a composed, Premier League quality central defender, while Kristian Pedersen is attracting admirers from the top flight. Some decent individual seasons are being put together.

Are the fans happy with Pep Clotet?

There was obviously scepticism about his appointment and the early struggles meant it's been tough sledding for the Spaniard.

There's been frustration at the head coach model, he is reluctant to talk transfers and stresses it's the board who recruit the players and his job to fashion them into a team.

However, he emerged with credit from the spat with Garry Monk and handshake-gate at Hillsborough - and the recent ten game unbeaten run means he's viewed with more empathy than when he started.

What sort of reaction do you believe Garry Monk will receive on Saturday?

That's a difficult one. For everything that's happened since it's only fair to recognise that Monk steered the club through very, very choppy waters last season and built a team of which the fans were proud. He seemed to reconnect various facets of the club too. Many won't forget that.

Others didn't like the way he treated Clotet in the build up to, during and after the Hillsborough match and his link with some Blues fans looked to have been damaged on the day.

And then there's the set who merely view him as the opposition manager. So....a mixed reception, with an appreciative smattering. But let's wait and see.

There's been a lot of hype surrounding Jude Bellingham, but is he the real deal?

Very real. It's difficult to say what's most impressive about him - there's so much to admire. Physically he's more than holding his own in the Championship, he's actually imposing his strength, pace and power in many games.

Mentally he's dealt with all of the noise surrounding him, the speculation and the intense demands of playing twice a week in such a challenging competition.

And technically he is so accomplished. He really is a generational talent and Birmingham City's crown jewel.

Who are the main threats?

Jutkiewicz with his power, particularly in the air, Bela with his delivery and goal threat from wide positions and - if he's fit, Scott Hogan, the fox in the box Blues have been missing all season.

What style of football (or system) should Wednesday expect to come up against?

Much will depend on Hogan's availability. He injured his ankle against Brentford and had to come off. If he's recovered it'll be 4-4-2, with Bela and Bellingham on the wings. If not, maybe Dan Crowley playing behind Jutkiewicz in a 4-4-1-1.

What is City's target for this season/where do you think they will finish?

I said at the start of the season they'd finish 15th, I'm hopeful they might improve on that now - for as long as the best XI can stay fit.

I think the lost time in the second quarter of the season might ultimately cost them a top ten place but at the moment they are functioning really well. The owners' pre-season desire for a play-off finish always looked fanciful.