Birmingham City – Fulham Preview: Alex McLeish’s men looking to pick up three of the four points they need to ensure Premier League survival

Alex McLeish – Birmingham City (PA)

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Obafemi Martins, James McFadden and Scott Dann are all long-term injury doubts for the home side – with centre-half Dann confirming that he would not be rushed back for the final two games of the season even though there was a possibility he could have been available.
Mark Hughes has no new injury worries ahead of his sides’s trip to the Midlands but striker Bobby Zamora could come in to the starting XI after he was brought on at half-time in Fulham’s 5-2 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool last Monday night.

• Despite the superb form of their former Manchester United stopper, Birmingham have kept just one clean sheet in their last 11 league games.

• Alex McLeish’s men have not enjoyed facing Londoners this season, winning just two of their eight games against sides from the capital and scoring an average of just one goal in each game.

• Birmingham have struggled to find the back of the net regularly enough this season and may need to improve their record of scoring exactly one goal in their last four home games against Fulham if they are to take all three points.

• Fulham, who sit comfortably in tenth place, will need to improve their absymal away record if they are to pile the pressure on Birmingham this weekend – the Cottagers have won just two of their last 36 Premier League away games.

• Mark Hughes’ charges have seemed to take a while to get going in games this campaign – and if only the second half of Premier League games counted, Fulham would be third in the table with 60 points.

• Oddly enough, the history books between the two sides re-affirm this statistic – with eight of Fulham’s last nine goals against Sunday’s opponents coming in the second 45 minutes.