Barclays Premier League leaders Arsenal will be seeking the win that will keep them at least two points ahead of Manchester United in the title race. United play in Saturday's evening kick-off, so the Gunners have the chance to apply a bit of pressure on their rivals by beating 16th-placed Birmingham.
The visitors will be looking for their first win of 2008 to climb away from the relegation zone and expunge the memory of last weekend's humbling at the hands of League One Huddersfield Town in the Third Round of the FA Cup.
Arsenal's cup exploits saw them win 2-0 at Burnley in the FA Cup last Sunday, then salvage a home draw against arch-rivals Tottenham with a late Theo Walcott equaliser in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
That 1-1 draw extended the Gunners' unbeaten run against Spurs to 21 games, but it came at a cost. The game, which Tottenham largely dominated, saw Arsenal incur a clutch of injuries, making several players doubtful for Saturday's clash with Birmingham. Given that the Gunners have also lost three players to the African Cup of Nations, Arsene Wenger has gone from a nearly full complement of players a week ago to a severely depleted squad in which as many as ten players could be unavailable, though he is hopeful some of the walking wounded will be fit in time to face the Blues.
Pundits are speculating that such deprivations at this stage of the season could blow the Gunners' title bid off-course. On the other hand, Wenger rested the bulk of his regular first XI against Burnley and Spurs, so will have some fresh legs to come back in against Birmingham.
Moreover, Arsenal are unbeaten at home this season (they've only ever lost once at the Emirates) and have been beaten just twice in 34 matches since the start of the campaign, at Sevilla and Middlesbrough. Birmingham last won at Arsenal half a century ago, back in 1957, and they are yet to score a Premier League goal on Arsenal turf.
This season. the Gunners have won three times as many League matches as Birmingham (15 to five), scored almost twice as many goals (42 to 22) and conceded half as many (16 to 32).
The Blues suffered that Cup defeat at Huddersfield on the back of a poor festive period, in which they added just four from a possible 12 points to their Premier League total. In contrast, Arsenal picked up ten points over the same period and go into this game 15 places and 31 points better off than their West Midlands visitors.
Birmingham have won only once in their last six matches and twice in their last 11; Arsenal are unbeaten in nine.
Blues manager Alex McLeish is keen to bolster his squad this month, but was this week frustrated in attempts to sign two players he knows well from time in Scotland - Everton striker James McFadden and Hibernian left-back David Murphy.
McLeish offered £2.5million for McFadden, who was one of the stars of Scotland's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, and £1million for Murphy.
"I can confirm we have had bids rejected. Will I go back in for McFadden and Murphy? We will have a think about things," said McLeish, who is also reportedly interested in Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras.
The former Scotland manager has the full backing of the Birmingham board as he tries to strengthen his squad, and confirmed: "I want to bring in players I feel I can move forward with, but I don't expect anyone to be in by kick-off time on Saturday.
"I don't want to bring anyone in just to fill up the numbers in the squad. I could do that and then I would regret that further down the line and say we are no farther forward."
FORM GUIDE
Arsenal
09 Jan v Tottenham (H) DREW 1-1 (Carling Cup)
06 Jan v Burnley (A) WON 2-0 (FA Cup)
01 Jan v West Ham (H) WON 2-0 (Prem)
29 Dec v Everton (A) WON 4-1 (Prem)
26 Dec v Portsmouth (A) DREW 0-0 (Prem)
22 Dec v Tottenham (H) WON 2-1 (Prem)
Birmingham
05 Jan v Huddersfield (A) LOST 1-2 (FA Cup)
01 Jan v Man Utd (A) LOST 0-1 (Prem)
29 Dec v Fulham (H) DREW 1-1 (Prem)
26 Dec v Middlesbrough (H) WON 3-0 (Prem)
22 Dec v Bolton (A) LOST 0-3 (Prem)
15 Dec v Reading (H) DREW 1-1 (Prem)
TEAM NEWS
Arsenal
Arsene Wenger faces something of a defensive crisis. Philippe Senderos and Johan Djourou are both rated highly doubtful after picking up injuries against their north London rivals Spurs on Wednesday, while Bacary Sagna also hurt an ankle in that game. With Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure away with the Ivory Coast at the African Cup of Nations, and Alex Song with Cameroon, Wenger may have improvise in central defence.
Senderos has a better chance of making the game than Djourou (who has just returned to Arsenal after spending the first half of the season on loan to Birmingham). But if Senderos is not deemed fit enough to start, captain William Gallas could be partnered in central defence by midfielder Gilberto Silva, full-back Justin Hoyte or possibly (if he's fit) Sagna.
Theo Walcott is also doubtful after picking up an ankle injury against Spurs, while Robin van Persie has been ruled out with flu. Emmanuel Adebayor is a slight doubt with a hamstring injury, and so is Alexander Hleb, nursing a sprained ankle.
Last Starting XI (v Tottenham): Fabianski, Justin Hoyte, Djourou (Sagna 46), Senderos, Traore, Walcott (Randall 90), Denilson, Silva, Diaby, Van Persie (Eduardo 46), Bendtner. Subs Not Used: Mannone, Gavin Hoyte.
Squad: Almunia, Clichy, Gallas, Senderos, Sagna, Rosicky, Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb, Adebayor, Eduardo, Lehmann, Fabianski, Gilberto, Walcott, Hoyte, Bendtner, Denilson, Diaby, Traore, Diarra.
Birmingham
Sebastian Larsson and Fabrice Muamba look set to start against their former club. Both young players were sold to the Blues by the Gunners for a substantial profit after season-long loans at St Andrew's. (Nicklas Bendtner was with them there on loan, but has returned to Arsenal from the Gunners and could feature against the Blues).
McLeish has an almost clean bill of health, apart from long-term absentee Borja Oubina, but has lost Djourou back to Arsenal, as well as Radhi Jaidi and Medhi Nafti to Tunisia for the African Cup of Nations. Martin Taylor looks likely to start at the back alongside Liam Ridgewell, while Rafael Schmitz is back in the squad after injury.
Captain Damien Johnson is set to replace Nafti by wearing a protective mask after he suffered a slight fracture of the skull a fortnight ago. Olivier Kapo has recovered from a knee injury and travels with the squad.
Last Starting XI (v Huddersfield): Maik Taylor, Kelly, Queudrue, Ridgewell, Jaidi, McSheffrey, Muamba (Doyle 66), De Ridder, Larsson, O'Connor, Forssell (Jerome 62). Subs Not Used: Sadler, Parnaby, Mutch.
Squad: Maik Taylor, Doyle, Kelly, Ridgewell, Schmitz, Martin Taylor, Queudrue, Larsson, McSheffrey, Muamba, Johnson, Forssell, O'Connor, Jerome, Parnaby, De Ridder, Kapo, Sadler.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arsenal
Cesc Fabregas has had a break and should be recharged. Fabregas has scored 11 goals from midfield and supplied 11 assists, but his last goal was on 3rd November against Manchester United, so another goal would be a boost all round, although he continues to create for others. If a refreshed Fabregas is back to his best on Saturday, expect him to run the show.
Birmingham
Sebastian Larsson - a close friend of Fabregas - and Fabrice Muamba will be facing their former team-mates for he first time and will be desperate to impress. Larsson admits he left Arsenal because he did not think he was good enough to win a regular starting place ahead of the likes of Fabregas, but he has excelled at St Andrew's, as has Muamba, hailed as the new Patrick Vieira when he first emerged at Arsenal. If Birmingham are to leave Emirates with anything, their midfield will have to impose itself and these two ex-Gunners will need to shine.
PREDICTION
Any Alex McLeish team will be disciplined and work hard, and Birmingham will no doubt attempt to deny Arsenal time and space, especially in midfield. But the relative positions of the two teams reflects a gulf in class, and that extra quality should see Arsenal to victory, especially at home, as they look to stay ahead of Manchester United.
Arsenal 3-1 Birmingham City
The visitors will be looking for their first win of 2008 to climb away from the relegation zone and expunge the memory of last weekend's humbling at the hands of League One Huddersfield Town in the Third Round of the FA Cup.
Arsenal's cup exploits saw them win 2-0 at Burnley in the FA Cup last Sunday, then salvage a home draw against arch-rivals Tottenham with a late Theo Walcott equaliser in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
That 1-1 draw extended the Gunners' unbeaten run against Spurs to 21 games, but it came at a cost. The game, which Tottenham largely dominated, saw Arsenal incur a clutch of injuries, making several players doubtful for Saturday's clash with Birmingham. Given that the Gunners have also lost three players to the African Cup of Nations, Arsene Wenger has gone from a nearly full complement of players a week ago to a severely depleted squad in which as many as ten players could be unavailable, though he is hopeful some of the walking wounded will be fit in time to face the Blues.
Pundits are speculating that such deprivations at this stage of the season could blow the Gunners' title bid off-course. On the other hand, Wenger rested the bulk of his regular first XI against Burnley and Spurs, so will have some fresh legs to come back in against Birmingham.
Moreover, Arsenal are unbeaten at home this season (they've only ever lost once at the Emirates) and have been beaten just twice in 34 matches since the start of the campaign, at Sevilla and Middlesbrough. Birmingham last won at Arsenal half a century ago, back in 1957, and they are yet to score a Premier League goal on Arsenal turf.
This season. the Gunners have won three times as many League matches as Birmingham (15 to five), scored almost twice as many goals (42 to 22) and conceded half as many (16 to 32).
The Blues suffered that Cup defeat at Huddersfield on the back of a poor festive period, in which they added just four from a possible 12 points to their Premier League total. In contrast, Arsenal picked up ten points over the same period and go into this game 15 places and 31 points better off than their West Midlands visitors.
Birmingham have won only once in their last six matches and twice in their last 11; Arsenal are unbeaten in nine.
Blues manager Alex McLeish is keen to bolster his squad this month, but was this week frustrated in attempts to sign two players he knows well from time in Scotland - Everton striker James McFadden and Hibernian left-back David Murphy.
McLeish offered £2.5million for McFadden, who was one of the stars of Scotland's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, and £1million for Murphy.
"I can confirm we have had bids rejected. Will I go back in for McFadden and Murphy? We will have a think about things," said McLeish, who is also reportedly interested in Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras.
The former Scotland manager has the full backing of the Birmingham board as he tries to strengthen his squad, and confirmed: "I want to bring in players I feel I can move forward with, but I don't expect anyone to be in by kick-off time on Saturday.
"I don't want to bring anyone in just to fill up the numbers in the squad. I could do that and then I would regret that further down the line and say we are no farther forward."
FORM GUIDE
Arsenal
09 Jan v Tottenham (H) DREW 1-1 (Carling Cup)
06 Jan v Burnley (A) WON 2-0 (FA Cup)
01 Jan v West Ham (H) WON 2-0 (Prem)
29 Dec v Everton (A) WON 4-1 (Prem)
26 Dec v Portsmouth (A) DREW 0-0 (Prem)
22 Dec v Tottenham (H) WON 2-1 (Prem)
Birmingham
05 Jan v Huddersfield (A) LOST 1-2 (FA Cup)
01 Jan v Man Utd (A) LOST 0-1 (Prem)
29 Dec v Fulham (H) DREW 1-1 (Prem)
26 Dec v Middlesbrough (H) WON 3-0 (Prem)
22 Dec v Bolton (A) LOST 0-3 (Prem)
15 Dec v Reading (H) DREW 1-1 (Prem)
TEAM NEWS
Arsenal
Arsene Wenger faces something of a defensive crisis. Philippe Senderos and Johan Djourou are both rated highly doubtful after picking up injuries against their north London rivals Spurs on Wednesday, while Bacary Sagna also hurt an ankle in that game. With Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure away with the Ivory Coast at the African Cup of Nations, and Alex Song with Cameroon, Wenger may have improvise in central defence.
Senderos has a better chance of making the game than Djourou (who has just returned to Arsenal after spending the first half of the season on loan to Birmingham). But if Senderos is not deemed fit enough to start, captain William Gallas could be partnered in central defence by midfielder Gilberto Silva, full-back Justin Hoyte or possibly (if he's fit) Sagna.
Theo Walcott is also doubtful after picking up an ankle injury against Spurs, while Robin van Persie has been ruled out with flu. Emmanuel Adebayor is a slight doubt with a hamstring injury, and so is Alexander Hleb, nursing a sprained ankle.
Last Starting XI (v Tottenham): Fabianski, Justin Hoyte, Djourou (Sagna 46), Senderos, Traore, Walcott (Randall 90), Denilson, Silva, Diaby, Van Persie (Eduardo 46), Bendtner. Subs Not Used: Mannone, Gavin Hoyte.
Squad: Almunia, Clichy, Gallas, Senderos, Sagna, Rosicky, Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb, Adebayor, Eduardo, Lehmann, Fabianski, Gilberto, Walcott, Hoyte, Bendtner, Denilson, Diaby, Traore, Diarra.
Birmingham
Sebastian Larsson and Fabrice Muamba look set to start against their former club. Both young players were sold to the Blues by the Gunners for a substantial profit after season-long loans at St Andrew's. (Nicklas Bendtner was with them there on loan, but has returned to Arsenal from the Gunners and could feature against the Blues).
McLeish has an almost clean bill of health, apart from long-term absentee Borja Oubina, but has lost Djourou back to Arsenal, as well as Radhi Jaidi and Medhi Nafti to Tunisia for the African Cup of Nations. Martin Taylor looks likely to start at the back alongside Liam Ridgewell, while Rafael Schmitz is back in the squad after injury.
Captain Damien Johnson is set to replace Nafti by wearing a protective mask after he suffered a slight fracture of the skull a fortnight ago. Olivier Kapo has recovered from a knee injury and travels with the squad.
Last Starting XI (v Huddersfield): Maik Taylor, Kelly, Queudrue, Ridgewell, Jaidi, McSheffrey, Muamba (Doyle 66), De Ridder, Larsson, O'Connor, Forssell (Jerome 62). Subs Not Used: Sadler, Parnaby, Mutch.
Squad: Maik Taylor, Doyle, Kelly, Ridgewell, Schmitz, Martin Taylor, Queudrue, Larsson, McSheffrey, Muamba, Johnson, Forssell, O'Connor, Jerome, Parnaby, De Ridder, Kapo, Sadler.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arsenal
Cesc Fabregas has had a break and should be recharged. Fabregas has scored 11 goals from midfield and supplied 11 assists, but his last goal was on 3rd November against Manchester United, so another goal would be a boost all round, although he continues to create for others. If a refreshed Fabregas is back to his best on Saturday, expect him to run the show.
Birmingham
Sebastian Larsson - a close friend of Fabregas - and Fabrice Muamba will be facing their former team-mates for he first time and will be desperate to impress. Larsson admits he left Arsenal because he did not think he was good enough to win a regular starting place ahead of the likes of Fabregas, but he has excelled at St Andrew's, as has Muamba, hailed as the new Patrick Vieira when he first emerged at Arsenal. If Birmingham are to leave Emirates with anything, their midfield will have to impose itself and these two ex-Gunners will need to shine.
PREDICTION
Any Alex McLeish team will be disciplined and work hard, and Birmingham will no doubt attempt to deny Arsenal time and space, especially in midfield. But the relative positions of the two teams reflects a gulf in class, and that extra quality should see Arsenal to victory, especially at home, as they look to stay ahead of Manchester United.
Arsenal 3-1 Birmingham City
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