George Burley and Matt Holland have both said that Town will let the football do the talking on Wednesday rather than copying Birmingham's tactics of talking up the physical side of the game.
Yesterday Birmingham skipper Martin O'Connor said they were going to give Town a horrible game both on and off the pitch while Trevor Francis has warned Town that they expect to find a ploughed field of a pitch. The implications from both statements is that Birmingham will try to break up Town's passing game as much as they can.
Matt Holland said: "The talk has fired us up that is for sure. It is disappointing when people talk like that, there is really no need for it. The best reaction is not in a verbal way but for us to beat them on the pitch."
Town manager George Burley said: "If I was the Birmingham manager I would feel a little bit embarrassed to admit that my team doesn't like to play on a good grass surface. You can understand it from a non-League club, but look at the money Birmingham have spent in the transfer market in recent years."
Burley added that he hopes the referee will be strong on the night.
This isn't the first time the relationship between Town and Birmingham has been less than friendly. Last season Trevor Francis reported Richard Naylor for an alleged headbutt on Darren Purse. Naylor received a ban from the FA and Town were very annoyed at the playground-style report from the Birmingham manager, partly as Birmingham had employed strong arm tactics themselves. Paul Furlong could easily have been shown a red card in the first minute for a particularly bad foul on Manu Thetis.
Moving on to the actual football, Nabil Abidallah is once again included in Town's squad. Other than that the squad is as expected.
Titus Bramble is a minor worry after poor tackle has left him with a tender leg. But it is not thought to be enough to keep him out tomorrow.
Full squad: R Wright, Branagan, Salmon, Wilnis , Clapham , Karic, Croft, Hreidarsson, McGreal, Venus, Bramble, Brown, Holland, Magilton, J Wright, Reuser, Scowcroft, Stewart, Naylor and Abidallah.
Kieron Dyer has bought his mum a new house in Town. The former Town star has splashed out £170,000 (a couple of months' wages) on a house on the Sycamores development which is on the edge of White House.
Prior to this mum Jackie had lived in Dillwyn Street where Kieron grew up a mere stone's throw from Portman Road.