Preview: Birmingham v West Ham

Carlton Cole and Zavon Hines both miss out with knee injuries, which means Guillermo Franco and Alessandro Diamanti are both likely to start.

Luis Jiminez is still struggling with a groin strain, while Matthew Upson has not recovered from his hamstring injury to line up against his former club.

On the plus side Rob Green and Mark Noble have both recovered from illness and should be involved, with Noble set to make his 100th appearance for the Irons should he play.

Kieron Dyer could also feature having come on as a substitute in last Saturday's 4-0 defeat by Manchester United.

Birmingham should have veteran striker Kevin Phillips available, while top scorer Lee Bowyer should line up against the club he left last summer.

The game has extra intrigue, not just because West Ham need the points to climb away from the relegation zone.

Former Birmingham owners David Sullivan and David Gold this week made a bid for the Irons, which means they could be two very interested spectators at St Andrews tomorrow to compare the old with the new.

West Ham (from): Green, Kurucz, Faubert, Spector, Ilunga, Gabbidon, Tomkins, Da Costa, Kovac, Parker, Dyer, Collison, Noble, Payne, Stanislas, Franco, Diamanti, Nouble.

Venue: St Andrews

Kick off: 3pm