* In 115 meetings in all competitions, Sunderland have won 52 games to Birmingham's 40, with 23 games drawn.
* Roger Johnson's concussion-enforced substitution at half-time against Blackburn Rovers was the first 45 minutes of Premier League football he has missed for Birmingham since he joined the club in 2009.
* Wigan Athletic are the only team with a worse goals scored record in the league this season than Sunderland and Birmingham.
* Sunderland are the worst team in the league, in terms of form, at present with just one point picked up from a possible 24.
* Phil Bardsley's goal in the 3-2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion last weekend was the first scored in the league by a Sunderland player in more than 450 minutes.
* If league games ended at half-time, Sunderland would be in a comfortable seventh place in the table.
* Birmingham have won just six of the 14 league games this season in which they have scored first.
* Sunderland's record of 12 clean sheets has given them the fifth best total in the league this season.
* Steve Bruce's side have made four injury-enforced substitutions before the second half in their last three league games.
* Sunderland have scored nine goals in nine league games since Darren Bent was sold compared to 26 goals in 22 league games before his exit.
LAST MEETING
August 14, 2010: Sunderland 2-2 Birmingham City
A late Liam Ridgewell leveller saw the spoils shared between the teams at the Stadium of Light on the opening day of the season.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Birmingham City: Foster; Carr, Davies, Johnson, Parnaby; Larsson, Ferguson, Gardner, Bowyer; Jerome, Phillips.
Sunderland: Gordon; Onuoha, Ferdinand, Turner, Bardsley; Henderson, Muntari, Cattermole, Zenden; Welbeck; Gyan.
Prediction
When two sides bang out of form meet, the margins of victory are guaranteed to be slight. With relegation-induced nerves holding each club back, the stage is set for master predator Phillips to keep his head and hit a crucial win for the Blues.
Birmingham 1-0 Sunderland 
