Town boss Mick McCarthy admits there’s greater pressure on him ahead of Saturday’s game against Birmingham at St Andrew’s after he switched all his starting XI for Tuesday’s 2-1 FA Cup third round replay defeat at Portsmouth. The seventh-placed Blues go into the match one place and two points above the Midlanders.
"It puts more pressure on me, I don’t know about the players, they’re under less pressure,” he said.
"They’ve not played this week, they’ve trained, the ones that could train. The ones that have needed a rest through injury have had it, so it’s me who I think gets the pressure for changing the team, not them.
"They’ve got no say in that whatsoever, they played Tuesday against Leeds and won and had a really tough game last Saturday against Preston and we earned ourselves a draw with a really tough performance coming back from behind again.
"So they’re ready to go, it’s me that gets the cosh, not them, and I’m delighted because it doesn’t affect me.”
Birmingham boss Gary Rowett and his staff have just been handed new one-year rolling contracts, having made a significant impact since taking over at St Andrew’s in October 2014 when the Midlanders, with whom he was a defender between 1998 and 2000, were in the Championship's relegation zone.
They ended last season 10th and have continued that progress this season with last week’s 3-0 win at Derby perhaps their standout result of this campaign so far.
"Thoroughly deserved, good for him,” McCarthy said when told of Rowett’s new deal. "He’s been brilliant. I really only met him for the first time at a hotel when we were playing Fulham and he was down in London as they hadn’t got a game. I liked him instantly.
"I think I’m giving him a compliment, his teams are like mine and he’s very similar in terms of him being pragmatic about the way they play - play when they can, don’t get beaten, be hard to beat, be tough and organised.
"I think first and foremost they make it hard for you to play against them and then they’ve got that smattering of players like we all try and get that can make a difference.
"And with Jacques Maghoma and Jon Toral, Clayton Donaldson’s a really big player for them, they’ve got threats.
"They’ve also got threats from freekicks and corners. I know Stephen Gleeson [from Wolves], he puts good deliveries in. They’re a lot like us, I think.
"I think he demands from them and he seems to get the best out of them. I’ve the utmost respect for him.”
The Town boss says Birmingham are a club back on the up after a difficult period like a lot of sides in the Championship.
"That’s a cap that fits a lot of us,” he reflected. "They’re coming back because Gary Rowett has been that stabilising, consistent influence, I think.
"They seem to have entrusted it with him and I think they can see that it’s in good hands.
"And if they’re rewarding him with a new contract, then he’s earned that. That’s why they’re doing well.”
McCarthy says there’s currently a mini-league on the cusp of the play-off zone involving Brighton in fifth, then Sheffield Wednesday, Town and Birmingham. But he says other sides below that are also pushing towards the top six.
"I wouldn’t discount the advances of Cardiff, of Wolves,” he warned. "Who knows over 19 games what can be achieved because we’ve seen what’s happened before.
"Teams will have good spells and bad spells. But there is a mini-league that we’re in and it’s going to be a helluva tough scrap to get in the top six.”
Town are currently undefeated in seven away from home in the league - two draws sandwiching that club record-equalling five-game winning run - but McCarthy says his team aren’t the only ones in good form on the road.
"Birmingham had a wonderful win at Derby last week and one of the reports I’ve got says they’re a really good away team,” he continued. "They can soak up pressure and they’ve got threats on the break.
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"Well, that’ll be interesting if it ends up that we have to play like that as well. We don’t set up to play that way but we’re comfortable if we have to and we’ve got our own threats, Freddie, Ryan, Murph, Kevin Bru and Dougie from midfield.
"So, similarly, I think we’re a good side [away from home], which is an improvement. In league games we’ve had five wins and a draw out of the last six and I think Birmingham will be conscious of our threats.”
McCarthy celebrated a 1-0 win in his first game in charge of Town at Birmingham in November 2012 and he says it’s a ground he enjoys visiting.
"St Andrew’s is a good stadium, I like it,” he said. "I like going there, the atmosphere is generally good because it’s hostile. You’re playing away from home and they support their team. I like that.”
At Portman Road in September the sides battled out a hard-fought 1-1 draw and McCarthy admits that he wouldn't be too disappointed with the same result again.
"I won’t be that unhappy if it’s the same up there, to be honest with you," he added.
"We’ll be going there to try and win, but a point away from home is always a precious one.”
The Town boss will revert back to his regular league side with Cole Skuse (hamstring), Luke Chambers (calf) and Christophe Berra (shoulder) all over problems suffered in the Preston match.
Dean Gerken will return in goal with McCarthy having confirmed his usual backline of skipper Chambers at right-back, Jonas Knudsen at left-back and Berra and Tommy Smith at the heart of the defence.
Skuse is again likely to be partnered in the deeper lying central midfield roles by Jonathan Douglas with Kevin Bru ahead of them.
Ryan Fraser will be on the left and Freddie Sears on the right with Daryl Murphy the central striker.
Kevin Foley will be in the Town 18 for the first time if his international clearance has come through but Piotr Malarczyk is suspended for one game having been red-carded at Portsmouth.
Birmingham, unbeaten in their last four in the league, winning three, are likely to utilise a similar 4-2-3-1 system and will probably be unchanged from the Derby victory.
Jacques Maghoma (illness) and Maikel Kieftenbeld (hip) have missed training this week but are expected to be fine.
Defender Neal Eardley is a long-term absentee having damaged knee ligaments while winger David Cotterill has missed the last two games with a hamstring problem.
Another winger Koby Arthur has returned to training after a thigh problem but is not yet ready to return to match action.
Historically, Town have had the better record in fixtures between the sides, winning 34 times (31 in the league), drawing 15 (15) and losing 27 (21).
In September at Portman Road, Brett Pitman netted a 32nd minute equaliser from the penalty spot as the sides drew 1-1, David Cotterill having put the visitors in front 10 minutes earlier.
Last time at St Andrew’s, in August 2014, Christophe Berra netted two goals, the second deep into injury time, as Town grabbed a 2-2 draw having twice been behind.
David Edgar put the home side in front on the half hour, Berra equalised for the Blues five minutes after the break, Clayton Donaldson put Birmingham back in front before the Scottish international’s late, late leveller.
Later that season at Portman Road, in February last year, Freddie Sears scored twice and Tyrone Mings and Kevin Bru once each as the Blues won 4-2.
Mings headed in his first senior goal in the 24th minute, Sears made it 2-0 four minutes after the break, before David Davis pulled one back on 57.
Sears netted his second on 64, Davis grabbed another for the visitors on 79 before Bru sealed it in injury time with his first goal for Town.
No player in either squad has represented the opposition, although Birmingham defender Michael Morrison hails from Haverhill.
Saturday’s referee is Michael Bull from Essex, who has shown 25 yellow cards and three red in 10 games so far this season.
Bull’s only previous Town match was the 2-2 draw at AFC Bournemouth last season in which he booked Tyrone Mings, Luke Hyam and Christophe Berra as well as two home players. It will be his first Birmingham match.
Squad from: Gerken, Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Foley, Emmanuel, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Douglas, Hyam, Coke, Tabb, Bru, Maitland-Niles, Fraser, Touré, Sears, Pitman, Murphy, Varney.