Birmingham suffered a humbling 3-1 loss to Millwall in their last Championship outing and they'll be determined to right the wrongs of that fixture against Cardiff this weekend.

Lee Bowyer though has a number of injuries to contend with right now and it has meant that he isn't able to perhaps rotate the squad as much as he would like.

The manager then is having to work with his hands tied behind his back - but could hopefully see some players return to fitness over the festive period.

But, who could start for the Blues against Cardiff?

Due to the amount of injuries in the team and the fact that ultimately Lee Bowyer can't rotate much, it could be largely a similar team to the one that struggled against Millwall.

Maxime Colin is nearing a return to fitness which is positive news but this game could be much too early for him to start. He could perhaps have a cameo but he is unlikely to be named in the starting eleven.

 

 

The only real change then to the lineup comes in attack. Despite Scott Hogan bagging an assist against the Lions, it might be worth alternating the striking combination to Troy Deeney and Lukas Jutkiewicz to see if that can get them firing more against Cardiff.

At the back, Kristian Pedersen, Marc Roberts and Dion Sanderson all had great games against Blackpool in keeping a clean sheet only for them to then concede three against Millwall. If they can produce a display similar to the one against the Seasiders, then their place still in this starting eleven will be warranted.

The midfield is also likely to remain unchanged, with the exciting Riley McGree always a handful for the opposition.