Birmingham manager Steve Bruce will be boosted by the return of Olivier Kapo and Johan Djourou for the home clash with West Ham.
The midfielder and the centre half had both been doubtful for the clash with the Hammers after picking up knocks in the draw with Sunderland in midweek, however both have come through training and are fit to play.
Bruce, however, will be without Frank Queudrue, who has not shaken off the ankle problem he picked up in the defeat to Chelsea on the opening day.
Damien Johnson (hamstring), Martin Taylor (stomach muscle), Matt Sadler and Rafael Schmitz (both Achilles) remain long term casualties.
Having almost claimed 3 points Wednesday, Bruce will be desperate for a triumph over the Hammers. The last time Blues were in the top flight the home fans did not see a win until December and Bruce is anxious to avoid that happening again.
12 08 2007
Steve Bruce admitted that it will 'take time' for his Birmingham side to settle in the Premier League.
The Birmingham manager watched his side crash 3-2 to Chelsea Sunday and Bruce mentioned his team still need to gel.
Birmingham impressed against Chelsea with Stamford Bridge old boy Mikael Forssell and Olivier Kapo both finding the net.
However, Chelsea proved too strong for the new boys with Michael Essien striking a 2nd half winner.
Bruce, though, sees positives from the display and thinks his side will acclimatise in their return to the top flight.
"It is going to take time," Bruce informed Sky Sports News.
"We all would like time, of course, and you would see we need to work defensively. But, we have got time to do it and we will get better I am convinced of that.
Bruce was also encouraged by the fact that his side have taken steps to banishing the goal scoring problems which plagued their last Premier League campaign.
"Not lots of teams score 2 at Chelsea," Bruce added.
"We looked a threat and we looked as if we have got a goal in us. Kapo gave a fantastic display for us, however the big thing for me is Forssell. He is looking as if he is back to where we think he will be and let's hope for him and us he stays injury free."
12 08 2007
Michael Essien grabbed the winner as Chelsea defeated Birmingham to set an English record for unbeaten league games at home.
Jose Mourinho's men were given a scare when Mikael Forssell opened the scoring and Olivier Kapo levelled before the break, however Essien's 2nd half strike into the top corner meant Chelsea have gone 64 league games undefeated at Stamford Bridge.
They go one match ahead of Liverpool's efforts at Anfield between 1978 and 1981, even though Mourinho said before the game that anything less than a triumph would not be worth celebrating.
Mourinho's record is even more impressive. He has gone 99 home league games without a defeat, his last being a 3-2 reverse whilst at Porto at the hands of Beira Mar in 2002.
In the end, there is a lot for the Chelsea manager to celebrate. Aside from the record, new transfers Claudio Pizarro and Florent Malouda found the net in the 1st half, either side of Birmingham's goals.
Didier Drogba was also given a run-out, with his appearance off the bench saying his recovery from injury will plan.
But they were also given a test from a hungry Birmingham side looking to make it an unbeaten opening weekend for the promoted clubs.
Chelsea were given an early warning that setting their record would not be a simple task.
Forssell was given a warm reception from home fans for his efforts at Stamford Bridge before moving to Birmingham, however an early shot held by Petr Cech at the 2nd attempt suggested he was in no mood to be charitable to his former club.
Birmingham's opener came from the Finland striker, even though there is hardly a celebration against the club that gave him a chance to shine in the Premier League. Gary McSheffrey whipped in a free kick which Liam Ridgewell, captain for the day in Damien Johnson's absence, flicked on. There was no time for Forssell to react however his instinctive header wrong-footed Cech.
Shaun Wright-Phillips was at the heart of Chelsea's best attacks before Birmingham's opener, firing wide when Pizarro had weighted a ball through for him.
The England winger and Malouda were given license to cut inside from the flanks, and it was Malouda who set Wright-Phillips racing down the right.
The low pull back was met crisply by Peru forward Pizarro, even though goalie Colin Doyle should have kept the effort out.
Chelsea edged ahead on the half hour mark. Frank Lampard was fed on the edge of the area, with his flick finding Salomon Kalou who scooped the ball through for Malouda to sidefoot home.
Kalou then raced through and squared for Lampard to sidefoot past Doyle, only for the visitors to desperately clear off the line.
However, Chelsea were stunned in the 36th minute when Kapo drifted in from the left, bundled his way past Glen Johnson and unleashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner with his left foot.
'We will win the league,' roared the travelling support.
McSheffrey then had a tame shot easily saved, whilst Kalou volleyed straight at Doyle after finding a way past Johan Djourou and Stephen Kelly towards the end of a thrilling 1st half.
The entertainment did not stop after the break, Wright-Phillips driving fiercely into the side-netting, fooling half of the Stamford Bridge crowd into thinking Chelsea had taken the lead again.
But they were ahead in the 50th minute, with Wright-Phillips finding Essien on the edge of the area and the Ghana midfielder finding the top corner, even though Doyle got a hand to the curling effort and again perhaps might have done better.
Essien was booked for his celebrations however it mattered little as Chelsea got within sight of making the record safe. Chelsea could have extended their lead too, with Kelly required to make a block from Pizarro and Essien firing over.
The sight of Drogba warming up had excited home supporters, and he was given the last 27 minutes to make an impression after missing the Community Shield through injury.
Essien was taken off for Mikel John Obi, and Chelsea could have gone further ahead when Kalou had an effort saved at point-blank range by Doyle.
Drogba almost caught Doyle off his line with a volley from the halfway line however the ambitious effort drifted wide. The forward finished the game with his head bandaged following a clash.
10 08 2007
Birmingham captain Damien Johnson will miss the big kick off at Chelsea due to a hamstring injury suffered in the friendly at Walsall a fortnight ago.
Summer signing Rafael Schmitz, on a season long loan from Lille, and fellow defender Mat Sadler are also both sidelined with Achilles problems.
But Blues manager Steve Bruce is poised to include a number of new transfers that included Liam Ridgewell, Stuart Parnaby, Franck Queudrue, Garry O'Connor, Daniel De Ridder and Olivier Kapo in his squad.
Mikael Forssell would lead the attack against his former club after in the end putting a 3 year injury nightmare behind him and looking sharp in pre season.
Team (from) Doyle, Maik Taylor, Kelly, Parnaby, Martin Taylor, Ridgewell, Jaidi, Queudrue, Larsson, Muamba, Nafti, McSheffrey, De Ridder, O'Connor, Forssell, Jerome, Danns, Vine, Kapo, Tebily.
02 08 2007
Birmingham manager Steve Bruce admitted that forward Mikael Forssell would figure in the Barclays Premier League opener against his former club Chelsea, only 2 months after it looked like his career with the midlands club was over.
Forssell was poised to end 3 years of injury frustration at St Andrews by moving to Hanover earlier in the summer.
But the move never materialised and the Finland international has looked sharp in pre season and in the end appears to have shaken off his long term knee problem.
And Bruce conceded a fit Forsell, who scored 17 Premier League goals for City in 2003-2004 before his injury problems started, would stop him from looking for another forward in the transfer market after the collapse of the Mido deal.
He was linked with Everton's James Beattie after already signing Garry O'Connor and Olivier Kapo from Lokomotiv Moscow and Juve respectively in the summer.
Bruce informed PA Sport, "Is Mikael in with a chance of playing against Chelsea? Absolutely. There is no question of that. He has looked so sharp this pre season. We really hope he can stay that way, that his knee is fixed and he is pain free which was not the case at the end of the season. No-one requires to tell me how good a player Mikael is when on song and fit. It was a fantastic effort when he scored 19 goals, 17 of them in the Premier League, 3 or 4 seasons ago. If he stays fit, it will be like having a new signing and I might not must go looking for another forward to sign. There was talk about him moving to Germany and maybe we thought the change of club would do him good after battling injuries for 3 years. However, the deal never happened, thankfully, and he was showing what we all know he is capable of. If Mikael is back to his best for good, no-one deserves it more because he has shown good resilience and determination through all the low times and never thrown the towel in. He's done all the pre season and you can see his confidence slowly however surely returning."
Bruce admitted that there is only a slim chance of City reviving the Mido deal however he still has a lot of competition for places with Cameron Jerome also challenging Kapo, O'Connor and Forssell for a spot against Jose Mourinho's side.
01 08 2007
A devastating 10 minute spell saw Birmingham beat Peterborough 3-0 at London Road.
A goalless 1st half saw both sides enjoy decent chances without reward.
5 minutes after the break former France midfielder Olivier Kapo broke the deadlock with a left footed shot past Mark Tyler.
Posh nearly hit back 5 minutes later before Cameron Jerome headed Blues into a 2-0 lead.
Sebastian Larsson rounded off the triumph after 56 minutes, collecting Garry O'Connor's pass before driving home.
26 07 2007
Birmingham remain optimistic of signing Spurs midfielder Hossan Ghaly however expects of also capturing his team mate Mido are floundering.
Blues are reasonably confident Ghaly will put pen to paper by the weekend, Steve Bruce's 8th capture of the summer.
But agreeing personal terms with forward Mido is proving a problem with the midlands club unable to meet his wage demands.
Bruce is desperate to land the Egypt international, who has also interested Boro, to supplement his current strike force of Olivier Kapo, Garry O'Connor, Cameron Jerome, Rowan Vine and Mikael Forssell.
The City manager had originally attempted to sign him on loan however Spurs were in favour of a permanent deal after splashing out £16 million to sign Darren Bent from Charlton.
If Mido fails to arrive at St Andrews, Bruce will look elsewhere for a new forward and has made it clear he would like as many attacking options as probable at his disposal.
Birmingham have always struggled for goal-power in the top flight apart from the 2003-2004 season when Forssell scored 17 goals.
But Bruce is still also keen to increase his defence.
He is still interested in taking Arsenal's Johan Djourou on loan and Villa's Liam Ridgewell was another target.
Bruce said, 'I have not spoken to Arsenal for a while about Djourou however we will see where we are. We are still hoping that something can be done.'
07 07 2007
Birmingham have completed the signing of Rafael Schmitz on a season long loan deal from Ligue 1 club Lille.
The Brazilian born defender passed his medical Friday however will be unable to feature in any pre season fixtures until he obtains his French passport.
The 26 year old was granted dual nationality by the French government back in May however Lille are in possession of the documentation which the Premier League need to approve the transfer.
Inspite of the minor set back in clearing the tough-tackling defender, manager Steve Bruce is happy with the experience which Schmitz brings with him.
Bruce informed the club's website, "Rafael's got good experience, he's been at Lille for a while. We saw Lille play in the league against Paris Saint-Germain and Auxerre and Rafael impressed both times. He's left sided and he's played in the Champions League so he knows what it is about. I am sure he will do very well for us."
Schmitz becomes Bruce's 7th signing of the summer, joining Fabrice Muamba, Stuart Parnaby, Garry O'Connor, Olivier Kapo, Daniel de Ridder and Richard Kingson at the club.
06 07 2007
Fabrizio Miccoli will appear for Palermo next season after signing a 3 year contract with the Sicilian outfit.
The Juve player spent the last 2 seasons on loan in Portugal with Benfica and expects to be recalled to the Bianconeri after Coach Claudio Ranieri stated that he was counting on the 'Romario del Salento'.
The Rosanero, however, started tracking the forward over the past weeks and reports had suggested that a move was on the cards.
'Juve announce that they have finalised the sale of forward Fabrizio Miccoli to Palermo on a permanent basis for £3m, to be paid over the next 3 years,' read a note on the Old Lady's website.
The forward agreed to a 3 year deal with the islanders, where he will replace David Di Michele, who signed for Torino today.
Juve also confirm they have sold midfielder Olivier Kapo to Birmingham for £1.6m, whilst Rey Volpato and Sebastian Giovinco will join Empoli on co-ownership and loan deals respectively.
03 07 2007
Charlton midfielder Amady Faye would become Birmingham manager Steve Bruce's 5th summer signing.
Faye's agent Willie McKay says that City's interest in the Senegal international who would leave The Valley for around £500,000.
Bruce requires to add some more experience in the middle of the park, particularly with Stephen Clemence thought to be attracting interest from Southampton.
McKay said, "He (Faye) is one of the players Birmingham are looking at. He would like to play in the Premier League and I think Birmingham will be alright next season."
Faye will already be familiar with one Blues player in Olivier Kapo, who signed from Juve for £3 million last week, with the pair having played together at Auxerre.
McKay said, "Faye played with Kapo at Auxerre so Birmingham will probably ask him his opinion about Amady and I am sure that will help things."
Bruce is also interested in Arsenal's Mathieu Flamini and West Ham's Paul Konchesky and has stated his wish to bring in 4 or 5 further players before the new Premier League season gets under way in 5 and a half weeks' time.
In addition to Kapo, he has already signed Fabrice Muamba (Arsenal), Garry O'Connor (Lokomotiv Moscow) and Stuart Parnaby (Boro).
Clemence, who moved to St Andrews from Spurs in January 2003, played a key position in helping Birmingham gain promotion last season after being overlooked for the early part of the campaign.
