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Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish expects an extremely tight finish in the race for Premier League survival. Just six points seperate 11th-placed Newcastle from the bottom side Wigan. McLeish’s men have struggled since winning the Carling Cup, but the Scot expects his side to rediscover their early-season form.

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Wigan v Birmingham  (3.00 Saturday):

Matches played in the Premier League at Wigan:

Number of matches: 3

Wigan wins: 1-Draws: 1—-Birmingham successes: 1 (goal difference: 5-4)

Since:

Wigan win: 1—Drawn game: 2—-Birmingham victory: 0

Doubles achieved over their rivals:

Wigan: 0—Birmingham: 1

Current home league form (Wigan): 3-6-6 (16-30)

Current away league form (Birmingham): 2-6-5 (13-21)

Everton v Birmingham  (8.00–Wednesday–highlights on Sky at 10.15):

Matches played in the Premier League at Goodison Park:

Number of matches: 6

Everton wins: 2-Draws: 4—-Birmingham successes: 0 (goal difference: 7-4)

Since:

Everton win: 1—Drawn game: 0—-Birmingham victory: N/A

Doubles achieved over their rivals:

Everton: 0—Birmingham: 0

Current home league form (Eveton): 5-5-3 (21-18)

Current away league form (Birmingham): 2-5-5 (12-20)

Everton’s much needed victory at Newcastle has made them all but safe now but that cannot be said for Birmingham who are heading in the wrong direction at an alarming rate.

With so many of the clubs towards the bottom of the league receiving plaudits for their play (West Ham, Wolves and West Brom recently), Birmingham need to halt their slump…..now.

Only Wolves have an inferior record when scoring first with Birmingham winning just five of the ten games when they netted first, a stat which is way below average in the Premier League.

Everton won the reverse fixture 2-0 at St Andrews earlier in the season and should play without anxiety, albeit David Moyes has been under pressure from home fans for a while now.

Birmingham v West Brom  (12.45 Saturday–Live on Sky):

Matches played in the Premier League at St Andrews:

Number of matches: 4

Birmingham wins: 3-Draws: 1—-West Brom successes: 0 (goal difference: 8-1)

Since:

Birmingham win: 0—Drawn game: 1—-West Brom victory: N/A

Doubles achieved over their rivals:

Birmingham: 0—West Brom: 0

Current home league form (Birmingham): 4-7-3 (13-15)

Current away league form (West Brom): 2-3-9 (14-30)