PREMIER LEAGUE: ST ANDREW'S, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1330 GMTBIRMINGHAM CITY:
Manager Alex McLeish has made a habit of avoiding defeat on a regular basis with Birmingham City this season and he does not intent to wave the white flag on the transfer front either.
Rather like his Wolves counterpart Mick McCarthy, who celebrates his birthday on this derby day, McLeish suffered disappointment in the January transfer window, but he will be back chasing very similar targets when the summer comes around, after making it clear he remains a fan of Roman Pavlyuchenko and Kris Boyd.
McLeish had a £10m offer from Spurs rejected for the Russian international during the January window and Birmingham also rebuffed in their attempts to lure Scottish international Boyd away from Glasgow Rangers - despite the fact the 26-year-old is out of contract in June.
McLeish was hoping he would have one of his two chief targets available to make his debut in this Midlands derby, but now the Scot is preparing another concerted bid in the summer to head off competition for Pavlyuchenko from Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow.
"We went for Pavlyuchenko, as most people know, and his wages weren't outrageous. He's a top player and he would have enhanced the squad. He would have come in and really upped the ante in terms of the competition, but it was not to be. It is something that we will revisit in the summer," said McLeish.
"I also asked the question of Rangers and Walter Smith said he was going to keep everyone until the end of the season. He said they were short of players anyway. If he lost any more, it would be difficult. That was a personal phonecall to Walter."
Both players would certainly enhance a squad that has overachieved so far this season - but despite the disappointments last month, McLeish is confident he has enough depth to his squad to continue building on their excellent display so far. We have done very well up to this point with the people we have and there is no reason why that cannot continue. No one will relax or think we have made it, because the players are not like that," he added.
Strategy: McLeish has made a point of not altering things too much this season and the consistency with his team selection, when he finally found his best combination, has been the key so far. However he will at some stage be looking to integrate new arrivals Craig Gardner and Michel into his starting line-up, but here is not the ideal moment for the Spanish midfielder signed from Sporting Gijon.
The physical aspect of this encounter will be key, which is why Barry Ferguson and Lee Bowyer will be relishing every second. Gardner is another who will be able to look after himself if things get rough so he could see some action. It is highly unlikely the game will be pretty, but it will be engaging.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS:
It has been another difficult week for McCarthy after Wolves' insipid defeat at Crystal Palace, so a local derby should represent an ideal platform for his players to prove they have the ability to stay in this division.
McCarthy will celebrate his 51st birthday at St. Andrew's acutely aware that any more dismal performances like the one at Selhurst Park will risk him missing out on seeing in his 52nd as the Molineux manager.
Wolves could start the game back in the relegation zone if Hull or Burnley win their respective games and the goodwill on the terraces is fast running out.
Supporters have bemoaned the lack of experienced signings in the transfer window, though gallant attempts were made to sign Robbie Keane and Stephen Hunt, while his team selection continues to be heavily scrutinised.
McCarthy is still bewildered by the display at Palace that has cranked up the pressure ahead of this trip across the West Midlands. He said: "It will be the equivalent of winning the Championship if we stay up. The performance the other night was the worst I can remember us producing and I didn't see it coming. Where it came from, heaven knows.
"But I've never had a problem getting a response from these players. We won three games out of four after losing to Birmingham earlier in the season and the criticism to the Palace tie should be the perfect motivation. I played in plenty of derbies - Barnsley v Sheffield Wednesday, Manchester City v Manchester United, Lyon v St Etienne and I've been involved in Millwall v West Ham and Newcastle v Sunderland as a manager.
"They are big games but my point is: Why would I want to hype them up any more? That only adds pressure. I'd rather try to keep everyone calm. It's a pressurised game but I don't think there's much on Alex. They have 34 points and they're going to be safe."
Strategy: To their credit, Wolves have surprised many teams on the road this season, with excellent performances at Spurs, Liverpool and Hull. But Birmingham have not lost at home since September and are under significantly less pressure to get a result. McCarthy desperately needs Kevin Doyle to start scoring more goals to prevent Wolves' season plumbing further depths. Marcus Hahnemann will be recalled after another poor display from previous No. 1 goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey in the 3-1 reverse at Palace on Tuesday night.
Injury Update: Wolves will have Stephen Ward, Matt Jarvis and Doyle available again after injuries ruled them out in midweek.
