Birmingham are out of the Carling Cup after being eliminated by Sunderland but that will allow them to fully focus on the Premiership campaign and the Blues are now aiming to beat direct relegation rivals Bolton and thus escape further from the bottom three. The Trotters made it to the next round of the Carling Cup after beating West Ham but they would be better off concentration on staying in the Premier League.

The teams enter this Carling Cup game in different mood as Sunderland are looking to make amends for the Burnley defeat at the weekend, whereas Birmingham players are in good spirits following the away win over Hull City. Both managers are likely to ring some changes for this game.

Both Hull and Birmingham lost their last matches and they are sitting in the dangerous zone with 4 points from 5 games. Considering that the two teams could be involved in the relegation fight, this game will be extremely important for both sides and we expect to see a nervy affair at KC Stadium.

Birmingham enter the Midlands derby after the defeat at White Hart Lane and the Blues are now looking to return to winning ways. Aston Villa have recovered well from the disappointments at the start of the season and they will try to record the third successive league win.

Tottenham are the surprise leaders after three Premiership rounds and Spurs are eager to extend the winning run. Birmingham, on the other hand, failed to beat Stoke last weekend but they have been playing well lately and are definitely not without chances at White Hart Lane.

These two teams played in the Championship last season but while Birmingham achieved promotion, Southampton were relegated and they are now playing their football in League One. The Saints had a very poor start of the season and this game will serve as a welcoming break from the league campaign.

Birmingham recorded their first win upon return to the Premier League thanks to the late goal against Portsmouth but the Blues will try to finish the job much earlier against Stoke. The Potters were hammered at Anfield but a good performance in this match would help them forget the disappointing defeat.

Birmingham played a good game at Old Trafford having showed a lot of potential despite the defeat. The good performance against Premiership champions was a good confidence boost and they will now try to put the first points on the board at their St Andrew’s. Portsmouth lost at home to Fulham and thus showed they could have big problems this season.

Champions Manchester United start their title defence against newly-promoted Birmingham City as they aim to return to winning ways after losing the Community Shield trophy to Chelsea. Alex McLeish has big problems with injured players and that is likely to damage Birmingham’s chances of getting away with something from Old Trafford.

Coca Cola Championship derby and the clash of the two leading teams comes at just the right time as the things are starting to unfold. The fact is that Birmingham are under more pressure than the Wolves as Reading and Sheffield are behind their back lurking, while the leaders are even five points ahead. Relaxed Wolves could use the fact that Blues are not so impressive at home lately. Don’t forget that this is not only league derby but also local derby of old neighbours…