Birmingham V Leeds at St Andrews Stadium : Match Preview

19 April 2013 11:01
Birmingham V Leeds - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


No new problems for Blues boss

Birmingham again boast an unchanged squad for the visit of Leeds as they look to mathematically secure their npower Championship status.

Lee Clark named the same starting XI for Tuesday's 1-0 win at Bristol City as the one which claimed a 2-2 draw at Leicester last Friday, and the Blues boss has no new injury or suspension concerns.

Midfielder Jonathan Spector again misses out with his troublesome ankle injury and watches from the stands alongside fellow absentees Keith Fahey, Marlon King, Stephen Carr, David Murphy and Will Packwood.

City's midweek triumph took them up to 12th in the table, just one place and one point below opponents Leeds.

Birmingham are currently six points clear of the drop zone with three matches remaining but in what has proved to be one of the tightest relegation battles in recent memory, even ninth-placed Charlton are not yet sure of their Championship status - with eight points separating 15 teams.

Leeds pair Steve Morison and Michael Brown are expected to return to contention for the clash.

Morison sat out the midweek win over Burnley due to an ongoing groin problem, but hopes to be back in the squad, while midfielder Brown has completed a two-game ban after reaching 10 yellow cards.

Skipper Lee Peltier remains doubtful due to the sprained ankle that has kept him out of manager Brian McDermott's first two games in charge, so Tom Lees is likely to continue alongside Jason Pearce in central defence.

Striker Ross McCormack sustained an ankle injury in the closing stages against Burnley, but is expected to be fit as Leeds chase a third straight win under McDermott.

Midfielder David Norris will miss the last three games of the season due to a knee injury, but McDermott has no other new injury or suspension problems as Leeds chase their first away win in the league since December.

Source: PA