Monday night Championship football presents an intriguing game at St. Andrew’s between Birmingham City and Middlesbrough, with Chris Davies’ side trying to rebound from a disappointing 3-0 setback away to Millwall the week before, while Boro look for their first win in four.

Following their promotion from League One last season with a record-breaking 111 points, Birmingham emerged as strong contenders for the top six this season under head coach Davies, and while they are still in with a chance of a play-off spot, Blues fans may have expected a little more at this point.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, have cemented themselves as genuine automatic promotion hopefuls, first under Rob Edwards and again under Kim Hellberg, with the Teesside club competing with Coventry City for a position at the top of the league.

With so much at stake, this game is sure to be exciting, as FLW looks at the players on both sides who will miss out due to suspension or injury.

Jhon Solis

Jhon Solis, a Colombian midfielder signed from Spanish club Girona in the January window, joined Davies’ team this winter to strengthen the Blues’ midfield.

However, the 21-year-old is set to miss this game after being sent out in Birmingham’s recent defeat to Millwall after receiving two yellow cards, rendering him unavailable for selection.

Kai Wagner

One of three left-back injuries in Birmingham’s ranks, German defender Wagner, like Solis, was signed in the January window, with Birmingham reaching an agreement with Philadelphia Union to bring him back to Europe.

Wagner was replaced by right-back Ethan Laird shortly after the hour mark in Birmingham’s loss to Millwall and appears to be unavailable on Monday night, giving Davies a dilemma in that area of the field.

Paik Seung Ho

Paik Seung-Ho, a South Korean midfielder, suffered a shoulder injury in Birmingham’s goalless draw at home to West Brom in mid-February and has been out of action ever since.

The 23-cap South Korean international is unlikely to participate on Monday night because he is anticipated to return later this month.

Kyogo Furuhashi

Kyogo Furuhashi has had a rough start to life in Birmingham following his eight-figure move from French club Stade Rennes in the summer, with the Japanese attacker scoring just once in 26 league games this season.

When he has played, he has mostly came off the bench, and after not appearing in a squad since their 0-0 draw at home to West Brom, he is unlikely to return for this game.

Lee Buchanan

Lee Buchanan, a left-back, has had a difficult year after missing over 15 months of activity due to an ACL injury.

The 24-year-old has recently returned to first-team training, but he is unlikely to play any time soon, given the present dearth of options in that area, as he works to regain fitness.

Alex Cochrane

Alex Cochrane’s final outing in a Birmingham shirt came in the Blues’ 3-0 away defeat to Watford on New Year’s Day.

Since then, the former Hearts defender has yet to play in a matchday squad, and that situation is unlikely to change coming into Monday night.

Luke Ayling

Middlesbrough’s 34-year-old right-back turned centre-back Luke Ayling was hooked off in the closing stages of the club’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City last time out, which could prove to be a costly mistake.

It’s unclear how serious the former Leeds United player’s injury is, but Dael Fry appears to be set to partner Adilson Malanda in the Boro defence for this one.

Alex Bangura

Alex Bangura, a Sierra Leonean left-back, has also had a very bad year.

The 26-year-old made his long-awaited comeback to play in late November, making eight appearances before suffering another injury just after the new year and not appearing for Hellberg’s side since.

Alfie Jones

Another, but not the last, injury in Middlesbrough’s defence; centre-back Alfie Jones was forced off after only 17 minutes of Boro’s goalless draw at home to Blackburn on Boxing Day and has been out of action ever since.

The former Hull City defender had ankle surgery as a result of the injury and is expected to return shortly, though this game is a little early for him right now.

Darragh Lenihan

The final injury at the back for Boro, with George Edmundson due to return to play after restarting training, is Irish defender Darragh Lenihan, who has made only two league appearances this season, none under Hellberg.

Indeed, Lenihan missed a significant chunk of last season owing to injury, which has continued into this one, resulting in his omission from the club’s EFL squad registration, implying that his time in Boro colours may be limited.

Samuel Silvera

Samuel Silvera, a versatile Australian player, had a strong start to the year, with two goals and two assists in three consecutive games to begin 2026, but has not been part of a squad since the end of January due to a stress fracture.

He is anticipated to return after the March international break, where he will continue to give tough competition in a variety of positions for Hellberg’s team.