Ajayi: West Bromwich Albion defender eager for Birmingham City clash

The Nigeria international is excited to return to the field of play, having last tasted action in March due to the outbreak of Covid-19

West Bromwich Albion centre-back Semi Ajayi revealed he ‘can’t wait’ for his side’s Championship clash against Birmingham City on Saturday.

The English second-tier has been suspended since March due to the outbreak of coronavirus in England and across the world.

The Baggies last game before the league was forced into a hiatus was against Swansea City on March 7, where they played out a goalless draw.

West Brom are currently second on the league table with 70 points from 37 games, one point behind Leeds United and Ajayi feels his side can claim victory in the derby encounter at the Hawthorns.

“We’re all extremely excited for the game against Blues on Saturday. It’s probably the longest I’ve ever gone without playing a competitive game. The summer break isn’t even this long,” he told the club website.

“I’m looking forward to it massively. It helps that it’s a derby as well, our first game back. It’s a huge game and great opportunity for us to get our season back on track. We can’t wait.

“It means everything to get the opportunity to finish off the season. We’ve put in so much this season as a group and into being where we are in the table. The opportunity to finish the season and complete the job is massive for us all.

“Everyone is raring to go and eager to make the most of this opportunity. The focus is very much the same. If anything, the break from football for so long and having it taken away from us has made us all hungrier to succeed. It definitely has for me.

“We’ll be taking each game one at a time and going into each game giving our all. With the break being so long it’s pretty hard to have many thoughts on Birmingham because there’s no form to go off.

“That’s gone completely out the window because we haven’t played for three months. What we saw from them before the break might not necessarily be what we see from them on Saturday.

“The best way to approach the game is to focus on ourselves, which is what we would normally do anyway.”

Ajayi joined the Baggies last summer from Rotherham United and has been a consistent member of Slaven Bilic’s side in this campaign, featuring 37 appearances across all competitions.

The Super Eagles defender will hope to help his side finish atop the Championship table at the end of the season and secure automatic promotion to the Premier League.

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