Aston Villa may not be in the best of form, but their manager Gerard Houllier has a proud record to defend when it comes to derbies.
The Frenchman has not lost a single derby game in the past 11 years, with his last defeat coming at the hands of Everton in the Merseyside derby in September 1999 at Anfield. In his defence, Steven Gerrard and the goalkeeper Sander Westerveld were sent off in that game – which contributed to the Toffees beating their neighbours.
But Houllier never lost another Merseyside derby, and at Olympique Lyonnais his side did not lose to St Etienne.
And having brought out the best in his players when it comes to derby games, the Frenchman hopes to inspire his latest charges to a victory over their arch-rivals.
He said: “Derbies show a lot about the character of your players - you have to play good football but also fight and compete.”
Recent History Doesn’t Favour Birmingham
History is against Alex McLeish’s men in this tie, as they have lost their last six games against Villa – including last season’s 1-0 defeats at home and away.
But Birmingham have recovered from a six-match winless run, to register a victory over Blackpool that was followed by a League Cup victory over Brentford. This should have restored some semblance of confidence to the squad.
With towering forward Nikola Zigic finally beginning to silence his critics by scoring in his side’s last two Premier League games, this game will come as a firm test of his mettle.
TEAM NEWS
Aston Villa
Gabriel Agbonlahor (groin) and Stiliyan Petrov (knee) are sidelined through respective injuries, while Marc Albrighton is suspended after seeing a red in the recent League Cup victory over Burnley.John Carew is recovering from an illness, while Luke Young is getting back from a hamstring injury. The pair are doubtful of featuring in the derby, but manager Gerard Houllier has hinted that Young may play some part. He would be in line for a start, as Habib Beye (ankle) remains a doubt.
Steve Sidwell will probably take Petrov’s place in the line-up, with Emile Heskey also likely to start after impressing in the Burnley game.
Possible starting line-up: Friedel, L Young, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Downing, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, A Young; Ireland; Heskey.
Birmingham City
Alexander Hleb returns to fitness for the short trip to Villa Park, having recovered from a knee injury picked up during the game against Blackpool.Jean Beausejour (knee) and Cameron Jerome (ankle) remain on the sidelines, while there are doubts over the fitness of David Murphy and Martin Jirnaek.
Michel is expected to be in contention after recovering from a minor knock during midweek, but it is unlikely that he will be handed a spot in the starting line-up for this game.
Meanwhile, Craig Gardner returns after serving a suspension.
Possible starting line-up: Foster; Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell; Larsson, Ferguson, Gardner, Fahey, Hleb; Zigic.
Prediction
The Second City derby should be a heated contest between the two sides, and Villa boss Gerard Houllier should be able to protect his derby record with a victory over Birmingham.
Aston Villa 2-1 Birmingham 
