Nice bit of lunchtime sunshine in the West Midlands forces both managers to shield their eyes on the touchline.

Isaac Vassell looks like he's playing the lone role up top for Blues as he goes chasing a long ball with James Chester. The Villa centre-back successfully shepherds it out.

Villa making the early pressing on the edge of Birmingham's penalty area.

Ahmed Elmohamady makes friends shall we say with a few home fans as he collects a couple of throw-ins.

Jonathan Kodjia just off target with a header on the edge of the penalty spot.

And we're off. Referee Andrew Madley gets things going.

Birmingham looking for a first home win in the league over Villa since 2005.

Darren Carter
Ex-Birmingham City midfielder on BBC WM

"It'll be blood and thunder for the first 15-20 minutes, a lot of tackles and headers going in."

Teams on their way out now and plenty of noise inside St Andrew's ahead of this one.

Strap yourselves in....

If you are in the West Midlands area this lunchtime you can tune your radio to BBC WM for full match commentary of this Derby from St Andrew's.

As you can see, the commentary team are in place and ready and waiting to go.

Sadly, rights restrictions prevent us from streaming the commentary here on the BBC Sport website, but stay with us and we'll bring you all the major talking points.

Image source, Rex Features

• Birmingham City have failed to win their past 10 league matches against rivals Aston Villa (D3 L7), their joint-longest winless run against the Villans (also their first 10 meetings between 1894 to 1905).
• The past two league meetings between these two sides at St. Andrew’s have ended as 1-1 draws; there has never been three consecutive league stalemates between these two rivals at Birmingham.
• Steve Bruce has lost five of his seven managerial visits to St. Andrew’s (W1 D1) as an opposing manager, while this will be Steve Cotterill’s first match against Aston Villa since October 2005, when he was in charge of Burnley in a League Cup tie, losing 1-0 at Villa Park.
• Villa have scored three more league goals in the first half (11) this season than Birmingham have managed in total (8).
• However, the Villans have conceded the highest proportion of their Championship goals (85%, 11 of 13) in the second half of games.
• In their last meeting back in April, Gabriel Agbonlahor scored a match-winning goal for Villa against Birmingham for the third time in his career (also Sept 2009 & Nov 2007).

Ged Scott
BBC Sport at St Andrew's

Image source, Rex Features

Aston Villa captain John Terry has had more than his fair share of past derby day experience in all his many years at Chelsea - whether up against Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham United or even their more immediate West London neighbours QPR and Fulham.

Today, 36-year-old former England captain Terry experiences derby day in the second city for the first time - intriguingly up against Birmingham City, who also tried to sign him this summer.

In the end, the lure of playing for Steve Bruce just outweighed the chance to play for Harry Redknapp. Bruce had been, after all, the winning manager (with Huddersfield Town) the day JT made his Chelsea debut in a League Cup home defeat at Stamford Bridge way back in October 1999 - 18 years ago.

How this season might have turned out for the two Second City clubs had Terry chosen Blues over claret and blue remains open to conjecture.

But, for now, Bruce will have the comfort of fifth-placed Villa being led out at St Andrew's today by a man who has never lost to Birmingham in 12 previous meetings.

Image source, Rex Features

Have your say on this lunchtime's action by getting involved on Twitter using #bbcefl

Who is going to take the bragging rights from this one at St Andrew's?

Are Villa now starting to show their credentials as promotion favourites? Are Birmingham too good to go down?

Image source, Rex Features

It's fair to say the claret and blue half of the second city are perhaps the more optimistic heading into this lunchtime's kick-off.

Steve Bruce brings his Villa side to St Andrew's on the back of four wins in their past five Championship matches to take them up to sixth.

A Villa win today would push them up to fourth.

Birmingham on the other hand are just a point above the bottom three and with only three wins from their 13 games so far this campaign.

That last victory came in Steve Cotterill's first game in charge as they upset the form book to beat Cardiff City 1-0.

Will home advantage work its magic for Blues once again today?

Birmingham boss Steve Cotterill recalls record signing Jota to the starting line-up after he returned from a hamstring injury as a substitute in last week's defeat at Millwall. He replaces Jacques Maghoma, who drops to the bench.

Birmingham: Kuszczak, Colin, Morrison, Roberts, Grounds, Davies, Ndoye, Kieftenbeld, Jota, Adams, Vassell.

Subs: Trueman, Dean, Gardner, Maghoma, Boga, Gallagher, Jutkiewicz.

Aston Villa keep the same XI which started the 2-1 home win against Fulham. Steve Bruce's only change is on the bench, where Mile Jedinak replaces Callum O'Hare.

Aston Villa: Johnstone, Elmohamady, Chester, Terry, Hutton, Snodgrass, Whelan, Hourihane, Onomah, Adomah, Kodjia.

Subs: Steer, de Laet, Samba, Jedinak, Bjarnason, Hogan, Davis.

Image source, PA

Here's a sneak peak for you of a couple of faces who'll feature in the team news.

Craig Gardner knows a thing or two about this Derby while Mile Jedinak is back in the Villa squad following injury...

Image source, Rex Features

Image source, Rex Features

Another Sunday - another lunchtime Championship Derby meeting.

It was Ipswich and Norwich's turn last weekend and today we move to the West Midlands and the Second City for Birmingham City against Aston Villa.

Two cross city rivals meet at St Andrew's with three points and I imagine a fair few friendships at work tomorrow morning at stake.

Kick-off is just under 15 minutes away if you can peel yourselves away from your phones....

Image source, Rex Features