Birmingham Vs Manchester United

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce will be forced to make one change from the side which drew at Liverpool.

Borja Oubina will miss the rest of the season with damaged knee ligaments so Fabrice Muamba or Neil Danns will come in. Mikael Forssell is also out.

Manchester United may recall fit-again Owen Hargreaves, who may fill one of the places on the substitute's bench.

Skipper Gary Neville is pencilled in for a reserve-team outing within the next fortnight, so he is still missing.

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Birmingham (from): Taylor, Kelly, Djourou, Ridgewell, Queudrue, Larsson, Nafti, Muamba, Danns, Palacios, Kapo, McSheffrey, Jerome, Schmitz, Kingson, Sadler, O'Connor, Parnaby, Johnson.

Man United (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Pique, Evans, Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Scholes, Carrick, Eagles, Anderson, Nani, Giggs, Rooney, Tevez, Saha.

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Birmingham manager Steve Bruce on building on the point gained in the 0-0 draw at Liverpool:
"It is always a big thing when Manchester United come to town, the big game that everyone looks forward to, and it's no different for us.
"We are looking forward to the challenge it presents. It's what we wanted to be back in the Premier League for. If we show the same resistance we showed against Liverpool we will be okay.

"It does breed a bit of confidence. It was a really good point for us. We had to get that hard to beat mentality back but we know tomorrow will be a different challenge so we have to be as resilient as we were at Liverpool."

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson:
"Carlos is very determined. He is exactly the same in training. He is a bit of a terrier, who gets about the pitch really well.
"When he loses the ball he tries to get it back straightaway, which is a really good quality for a front player.

"Getting the goal last week is important for him but it was almost a double-hit because I feel the game itself will bring him on even more."

BIG-MATCH FACTS
Sir Alex Ferguson plots tactics against one of his former players, not for the first time this season. He'll be hoping for three points against Steve Bruce's Birmingham, 28 days after gaining three over Roy Keane's Sunderland.

Both clubs return to league business after midweek defeats in the Carling Cup. Birmingham's was 3-0 at Blackburn; United's more of a shock, as a young inexperienced line-up were defeated 0-2, home to Championship Coventry.

United are chasing a fifth successive league win and clean sheet, and could go to the top of the table.

Birmingham have won half as many league games as the Red Devils, but scored one more goal.

The Midlanders have won one, drawn one and lost one of their three home Premier League matches, scoring three goals and conceding three; United have won one, drawn one and lost one of their three away Premier League matches, scoring two goals and conceding two.

It's 29 years since Birmingham last beat Manchester United. They've drawn six and lost 12 league games against them since an emphatic 5-1 top-flight victory on 11 November 1978, when Kevin Dillon, Alan Buckley (two), Don Givens and Jimmy Calderwood were their scorers.

This is the Brummies' third of seven consecutive league fixtures against north-west opposition. One of only two defeats in 11 Premier League games against north-west clubs was 3-0 away to Manchester United on 26 March 2006.

BIRMINGHAM CITY

Won only three of nine league and cup games this season and all three victories have been by a single goal.

Scoring a goal per game on average in the Premier League so far (seven in seven).

Recorded back-to-back clean sheets in the league, but not managed three in a row in 118 Premier League matches since completing three on the bounce at the outset of the 2003-04 season.

Lost one of the last seven home Premier League games; 0-1 to West Ham on 18 August.

Looking for the victory which would take the league points total in Steve Bruce's managerial career over the 500 mark; it stands at 498 at present.

The next two Premier League matches are also against north-west opposition; away to Blackburn and Manchester City

MANCHESTER UNITED

Wednesday's defeat to the Sky Blues ended a five-match winning sequence in league and cup, in which no goals were conceded.

On their longest winning sequence in the Premier League, since completing seven in a row on 31 March.

Not conceded in 419 minutes (six hours 59 minutes) of Premier League football since Geovanni scored the winner for Manchester City on 19 August.

Sunday's 2-0 win over Chelsea is the only time in 15 league and cup games more than a single goal has been scored in a match.

The fourth lowest scorers in the Premier League; just six goals in seven matches. Their Premier League matches have yielded fewer goals than any other club - just eight (six for, two against).

Keep more Premier League clean sheets than any other club (five).

Boasting the joint meanest defence in the Premier League with Liverpool. Both clubs have leaked just two goals, at one every 315 minutes (five hours 15 minutes) on average. Not conceded a single goal in the first and last half hours of any Premier League match so far this season.

On the longest current run in the Premier League of 47 matches since losing by more than a single goal; the 3-0 reverse by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 29 April 2006.

Lost one of the last six away Premier League matches; the 1-0 defeat by Manchester City on 19 August.

This match precedes Tuesday's Champions League Group F home tie against AS Roma.

KEY PLAYER NOTES
BIRMINGHAM CITY
Cameron JEROME, Olivier KAPO and Garry O'CONNOR are Birmingham's joint top scorers with two goals each. Only O'CONNOR's were not both in the Premier League.

JEROME has netted the quickest goal of this Premier League season, officially timed at 33 seconds; away to Derby on 25 August.

Rowan VINE needs a double to total 50 career league goals (Portsmouth, Brentford, Luton and Birmingham).

MANCHESTER UNITED
Louis SAHA is the only Manchester United player to have scored more than a single goal.

Edwin VAN DER SAR leads the race for the Barclays Golden Glove, with five clean sheets.

Wayne ROONEY has scored in each of the last three Premier League matches against Birmingham.

Ryan GIGGS is a double short of 100 career League goals.

If on the field from the outset:-

GIGGS will be making his 450th career league start - all for United.

Cristiano RONALDO will be making his 100th Premier League start for the Old Trafford club.

Chris EAGLES will be making his 50th English league start (Manchester United, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday).

Gary NEVILLE will be making his 350th Premier League start - all for the Red Devils.

If he plays:-
Michael CARRICK will be facing the club where he was on loan for a month in 2000.

HEAD TO HEAD
Manchester United have won all their home Premier League matches against Birmingham, in addition to the first two at St Andrews. But the last two corresponding fixtures have been drawn.

Home and away
League (inc PL): Birm'ghm 24 wins, Man United 39, Draws 25
Prem: Birmingham 0 wins, Man United 6, Draws 2

at Birmingham only
League (inc PL): Birm'ghm 15 wins, Man United 12, Draws 17
Prem: Birmingham 0 wins, Man United 2, Draws 2

REFEREE
Steve Bennett (Orpington, Kent)

After reading these information, what is your score prediction of this match?

Source - BBC Sport