BLUES V COVENTRY PREVIEW
After the disappointment of seeing his side lose 1-0 against ten-man QPR in the last game, Blues boss Alex McLeish is looking for a return to form from his side when they host Coventry City at St. Andrew's this evening.
Wins for Wolves and Reading at the weekend make the importance of three points even more crucial for Blues.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the big game.
TEAM NEWS
Blues
New loan signing Nicky Hunt will go straight into the starting line up against the Sky Blues after he was cleared to play by the Football League and Premier League. Seb Larsson and Radhi Jaidi are both back in the 16-man squad after recovering from their injuries. But Garry O'Connor (groin), Stephen Kelly (thigh), David Murphy (knee) and Stuart Parnaby (hamstring), Gary McSheffrey (knee) (Damien Johnson (back) are all missing.
Coventry
Striker Leon McKenzie is definitely out with a thigh injury.
Stephen Wright (knee) and Jay Tabb (rib) are both doubts.
FORM GUIDE
Blues currently sit in second spot in the Championship table, four points behind leaders Wolves, but with a game in hand. Alex McLeish's side have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five League games.
Coventry
The Sky Blues currently languish in 18th place in the table with a 17 point haul. Chris Coleman's side have won just one of their last five League games - whilst drawing two and losing two.
MANAGERS' COMMENTS
Alex McLeish
Coventry will be up for it and they will come here hoping to cause an upset.
I know Chris Coleman and he's a positive guy and he'll be thinking big about him and his team and why not?
We need to give them respect and that means that every one of our players has to play to his best level.
We were all disappointed with our performance at Queens Park Rangers and the result but that's in the past and training has been very bright this week.
I've now got to concentrate on getting this Birmingham team playing to the standard they showed last time out at St. Andrew's against Sheffield Wednesday.
Chris Coleman
If Birmingham is anything like the last derby game then it should be a good game for fans because I'm looking for a repeat of the performance we put in against Wolves.
We were the better side at Molineux and were unlucky with a couple of decisions and Monday will be an equally tough game.
Birmingham are a hard nut to crack because they don't concede many goals and they don't mind winning ugly.
They have only scored two more goals than us this season but they've kept a lot of clean sheets.
They are one of the strongest sides in the Championship and you always want to test yourself against that.
They've got a lot of quality in their squad but above all they are a very hard team to play against.
They're not up there feeling guilty about not entertaining for most of the season.
They're second in the league and they deserve to be there because they're a winning team.
LAST TWO MEETINGS
Blues 3 Coventry 0
Sunday April 1, 2007
We last encountered the Sky Blues on April Fools Day 2007. The big St. Andrew's crowd had expected to see the debut of new loan signing Andy Cole but the former England striker missed out on the opportunity to make his first appearance after tweaking a hamstring in training. A crowd of 25,424 saw Blues take an early lead through Radhi Jaidi and they then had to wait until the second half when two goals from super sub DJ Campbell in the 65th and 78th minute settled the game.
Coventry 0 Blues 1
Tuesday October 31, 2006
Over 5,000 Blues fans that made the short journey to the Ricoh Arena were handed the perfect Halloween treat of three hard-earned points courtesy of a Nicklas Bendtner header which just crept over the line. Blues had to survive a few scary moments, particularly during the first 20 minutes of the second half when Micky Adams' side laid siege on the visitors' goal. But Bruce's boys could have secured a more comprehensive victory as they missed several golden opportunities to double their advantage late on.
BETTING
Bet365 have Blues down as strong favourites tonight at 8/13. The draw is available at 13/5 and a Coventry win at an impressive 5/1. If you want a bet with higher odds a 2-1 win to Blues with Seb Larsson scoring the first goal can be had for 60/1.For the full range of bets click here Remember every bet you place supports the club.
MATCH COMMENTARY
If you can't make it to St. Andrew's, you can listen to full 90 minutes commentary of the game on Blues World.
The official website, bcfc.com, will have a match report available minutes after the final whistle along with McLeish's post-match comments.
TICKETS
Tickets are now on general sale priced from just £5 for under 12's, £10 for concessions and £15 adults.
Please note tickets are available on the day of the game but we do advise that you purchase in advance to avoid queuing by clicking here, calling 0844 557 1875 or by visiting the St. Andrew's Stadium Ticket Office.
