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Birmingham manager
Steve Bruce still has major injury problems ahead of the clash with
Chelsea. Central defender Matthew Upson will miss his 10th successive
game with a pelvic problem while midfielders Muzzy Izzet and David Dunn
are sidelined by calf problems. Striker Chris Sutton (hip and groin),
midfielders Jamie Clapham (groin) and Julian Gray (knee) are also out.
Chelsea winger Arjen Robben who served his 4-match suspension is
available again. Defender William Gallas serves the final match of his
ban while Glen Johnson remains sidelined with a hernia injury following
surgery this week.
Even with a whole
squad available, Birmingham are going to struggle. If a team cannot take
the limited chances that came their way to score the goals necessary to
win games they are surely going to struggle. They had their chances in
their 3-0 defeat at Man.United and if they had taken the few chances
they had created, could even have made the score-line respectable. That
defeat put them perilously close to losing their top-flight status with
8 games left to play. It looks on paper, a predictable win for champs
elect Chelsea who maintained their 9 point gap with a 2-0 comfortable
win at home over an injury-ravaged Man.City at the weekend. But not
worth backing on a -1 1/4 ball handicap for an away side especially in
an English football match. A well-executed set play could win the game
for any team. But I doubt it, 12 goals conceded and zero scored in their
last 3 cup and league games for Birmingham.
Probable lineups:
Birmingham : Maik Taylor, Vaesen, Melchiot, Sadler, Painter,
Bruce, Butt, Martin Taylor, Latka, Cunningham, Lazaridis, Johnson,
Clapham, Dunn, Kilkenny, Pennant, Clemence, Heskey, Forssell, Campbell.
Chelsea : Cech, Cudicini, Ferreira, Geremi, Terry, Carvalho, Huth,
Del Horno, Makelele, Lampard, Essien, Maniche, Gudjohnsen, J Cole, Duff,
Robben, Wright-Phillips, Crespo, Drogba.
Referee: H.Webb
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