Birmingham City are labelling their Sunday visit to the Hawthorns as their biggest game of the season.

The Championship leaders know they can all but put Albion’s automatic promotion challenge to bed if they can win and see off one of the teams Steve Bruce has long regarded as a major threat to his own ambitions.

But the two sides meet looking to bounce back from midweek setbacks with Albion’s shock home defeat to Crystal Palace letting Blues off the hook following their defeat at Norwich.

The match is loaded with sub-plots as midfielder Damien Johnson renews battle with Baggies favourite Paul Robinson following the St Andrew’s clash which finished with Johnson nursing a broken jaw and Robinson shown the red card.

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Birmingham City are labelling their Sunday visit to the Hawthorns as their biggest game of the season.

The Championship leaders know they can all but put Albion’s automatic promotion challenge to bed if they can win and see off one of the teams Steve Bruce has long regarded as a major threat to his own ambitions.

But the two sides meet looking to bounce back from midweek setbacks with Albion’s shock home defeat to Crystal Palace letting Blues off the hook following their defeat at Norwich.

The match is loaded with sub-plots as midfielder Damien Johnson renews battle with Baggies favourite Paul Robinson following the St Andrew’s clash which finished with Johnson nursing a broken jaw and Robinson shown the red card.

But the Blues man is backing his team’s fortitude to carry them through.

“The lads, over the course of the season, have shown good character after disappointing results,” he said.

“We will hope to show some of that character on Sunday and we will need to. It will be a very tough game.

“No doubt, this is about the biggest game of the season, and we have to do well.”

The Blues skipper believes promotion will be claimed by the team which best holds its nerve and added: “You would never have predicted Sunderland dropping points at home to Stoke

“That’s just the way this league is. Regardless of position, Albion was always going to be a huge game for us.”