Ken McNaught is backing West Bromwich Albion to beat Aston Villa in Monday's derby.
McNaught, who played for both clubs, has kicked off the countdown to Monday night's derby at The Hawthorns, a match he expects to be a tight encounter.
He told the Birmingham Mail: "I'll go for Albion - that will light the blue touch paper.
"There's not much to choose between the two teams at the moment, they're both very similar sides, and I can see what Steve Clarke and Paul Lambert are trying to do at both clubs.
"I don't think either of them will challenge for Europe but I think Albion might just have enough to edge in front of Villa. I think Villa are still struggling to shake off that tag of relegation-battlers from the past few seasons, whereas Albion have seemed more established, even though they haven't been in the Premier League anywhere near as long."
