This article is part of Football FanCast's The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more... 

At times this season Ivan Sunjic has been a pillar of solidity in Birmingham's midfield.

He's been a combative force that's rather helped Pep Clotet settle into life at St Andrew's.

The Spaniard has had a topsy-turvy campaign in charge of Blues so far, but whichever way you look at it, it might become even tougher on Tuesday night.

They came away from their encounter against Leeds with one major negative - the fact that Sunjic won't be able to play in midweek.

On the chalkboard

Sunjic picked up a yellow card for a rather rough challenge on Gjanni Alioski on Saturday and consequently picked up a suspension for an accumulation of five cautions.

The Croatian has never been one to shy away from the challenge and that was evident in the 2.3 tackles per game he'd made before their trip to Elland Road, via WhoScored.

But they'll have to make do without him for their next clash, something that will present a major dilemma to Clotet.

Birmingham have a vast array of options in the middle of the pitch so whether they do actually miss him remains to be seen.

Jude Bellingham has burst onto the scene in midfield this term with two goals while another teenager in Odin Bailey is also an option at the manager's disposal.

Who he chooses to go with is sure to spark debate and he could well be scratching his head in the lead up to kick-off.

Josh McEachran has yet to play since being signed following a trial period, but other choices lie in Gary Gardner and David Davis.

The latter would likely be the more natural replacement considering the number of tackles he makes.

A substitute at Elland Road this weekend, he made eight successful challenges across matches against Bristol City and Nottingham Forest earlier in the season.

However, Clotet may prefer more creativity, especially playing against a side not as highly placed in the table as Leeds.

Bellingham is likely to play but fielding the more attack-minded Bailey beside him could be a gamble given their age. McEachran is also short on match fitness so that's another risk facing Clotet.

Only one man can replace Sunjic in the side but it's a decision that Birmingham's Spanish head coach might have to mull over for a while.