Birmingham v Tottenham - Match preview

Last updated : 29 January 2010 By DSG

Birmingham City take on fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon at St Andrew's and they will be looking to get back to winning ways after their midweek defeat at Chelsea.

Alex McLeish's men suffered their first reversal since a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal on October 17.

The Blues' fine run consisted of 15 games - 12 in the Premier League and three in the FA Cup - before they were blown away 3-0 by Carlo Ancelotti's impressive Stamford Bridge outfit.

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After a slow start to the season, Birmingham have proved they can cut it with the big boys following their promotion from the Championship last term but it will be interesting to see how they react to this setback.

Much of Birmingham's success could be put down to their familiar line-up. McLeish has named an unchanged starting 11 in the past ten league fixtures now and they sit comfortably in eighth place but with Harry Redknapp's Spurs coming to town, they could pose a different threat this weekend.

With the Londoners occupying a place in the Champions League places, it will come to a stage where they must start picking up vital victories at places like Birmingham if they are to realise their ambitions this campaign.

Redknapp and his players should be in confident mood following their 2-0 win against local rivals Fulham on Tuesday cemented their position ahead of Liverpool and Manchester City in the league table.

McLeish will still be without Lee Carsley (ankle), Garry O'Connor (hip) and Teemu Tainio (knee).

Spurs must choose their squad without groin victims Jonathan Woodgate and Aaron Lennon, who is said to be some way short of a return.

Source: DSG

Source: DSG