By Eye Of The Tiger
September 19 2009

Hull welcome Birmingham to the Kc this weekend looking to pick themselves up from a 4-1 defeat away at Sunderland. Birmingham will be looking for their 1st away points of the season. It could prove to be a tight game as many will see these teams as both been near the drop zone come the end of the season. Team News

Hull could welcome back Dean Marney  Anthony Gardner is a doubt with a knee injury.Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink could make his first Premier League start. S Mouyokolo, Garcia, Ashbee and Bullard are all expected to miss the game.   

Birmingham are without James McFadden (thigh) and Franck Queudrue (hamstring). Lee Carsley (back) and Damien Johnson (strain) are doubts. David Murphy, Liam Ridgewell and Scott Dann may return.

Head-to-head

• They last met in the Championship in the 2006/07 season, when Hull won 2-0. Birmingham had claimed the points earlier in the season, winning 2-1.

• Hull have only beaten Birmingham once in the last nine meetings.

• These sides have scored a combined total of seven goals in 10 league games this season.

Hull

• Hull have conceded more goals (12) than any other team in the top flight this season.

• The Tigers are looking for back-to-back home wins in the Premier League for the first time.

• They have scored one goal in every league game this season, winning just one game and losing three.

• They already have the worst record against teams in the top half of the table, having lost all three matches.

• Hull have only won two Premier League matches in 2009.

• Hull's home win over Bolton last time out was their first win at the KC Stadium in 12 games.

Birmingham

• Birmingham have lost their last seven away Premier League games.

• They have only scored one goal in open play .

• There has only been one first-half goal in any of their five Premier League matches. (L0-1 v Man Utd, Rooney)

Manager Views

Phil Brown

"This week in training, we've mainly been concentrating on a clean sheet mentality,"

"I think we've got 22 or 24 cup finals this year whereby we play against opposition who we think we can get something from. Birmingham is one of those games.

"I watched them against Aston Villa last weekend with Brian Horton and we've come up with a game plan that hopefully will see us be creative when we've got the ball and have that defensive mind set when we haven't.

Bolton last month was one of those games where we came in at half time with a point and a clean sheet. The second half performance was then worthy of a win and we kept hold of that clean sheet.

"I know fans want entertainment and goals. Hopefully the attacking formation we have on Saturday will provide that kind of fluent football. Hopefully that will manifest itself in chances and goals at the right end."

Alex McLeish

"I expect Phil (Brown) will be saying to his troops that these are the games where we've got to pick up points the same as I'm saying that to my team.

"It's okay playing well against the Man Utd's and the Spurs of this world.

"Now this is where people are looking at Birmingham closely and these are the type of games which are really the bread and butter.

"I wouldn't be disrespectful to Hull by saying we're going to go and play an open game now because it's Hull City and it's not Man Utd or Spurs.

"Hull have proved that they're a very potent force on their home ground over the last two seasons when you consider their rise from the Championship, so we totally respect what Phil Brown has done with the club.

"It will be a tough game for us and if anything even harder than the Spurs and Man Utd games because there's more pressure on both teams and if they're going to have any chance of stopping in the Premier League they've got be picking up points in these games.

Possible Team Line-ups

Hull: Myhill, Dawson, Sonko, Zayatte, McShane, Kilbane, Hunt, Olofinjana, Geovanni, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Ghilas.

Birmingham: Hart, Carr, Johnson, Ridgewell, Murphy, Larsson, Ferguson, Bowyer, Fahey, O'Connor, Benitez.