Birmingham City travel to Wigan Athletic for almighty six-pointer

It might not sound like the most glamorous Premier League tie of the weekend but both Wigan and Birmingham City need a win to refresh their faltering season.

Birmingham City gave their fans something to celebrate with their Carling Cup win at Wembley last month, but they face coming back down to earth with a big bump as struggles since in the Premier League see them staring at the drop zone.

A home loss to West Brom was followed by a draw with Everton, before Birmingham then lost 3-2 at home to Bolton in FA Cup seven days ago to leave the Blues with confidence crumbling as they sit only out of the bottom three on goal difference.

Alex McLeish is hoping his side's exploits in the cup are not now taking their toll on his players, but he is boosted for the trip to the DW Stadium by the return of up to six key players and the Blues are 13/5 to win the game.

Stephen Carr, Roger Johnson, Obafemi Martins, Craig Gardner, Barry Ferguson and Martin Jiranek have all been struggling with injuries in recent weeks, but most, if not all, could line up in the vital clash with relegation rivals Wigan.

Their two most talented playmakers in Alexander Hleb and David Bentley are both still missing, while Keith Fahey, Lee Bowyer and Scott Dann all remain out for McLeish. One final worry for the Scot regards giant Serbian striker Nikola Zigic (15/2 to score the first goal), who looks set to have a fitness test on a groin problem ahead of the game.

Birmingham could be boosted by the fact Wigan have won only three games at the DW Stadium, which is the worst record in the Premier League, and they are facing a Latics side short on confidence with only one win in their last eight games. The home side are 6/5 to win the game with bookies, with the draw priced at 12/5.

While the Blues face a hectic schedule, Wigan have had the luxury of playing only one game in the last fortnight. Roberto Martinez has the benefit of having a fully-fit squad from which to choose from – something McLeish will be very envious of given the task of avoiding relegation over the remaining ten games.

The Spanish boss took his side to La Manga in Spain to boost morale and refresh his side, but he must be praying his strikers can step up on Saturday as they have scored only 16 goals at the DW Stadium all season.

Hugo Rodallega (11/2 to score first goal) remains Wigan's biggest goalscoring threat, but he has scored only seven goals this campaign and could face a long afternoon against a traditionally well-marshalled Birmingham defence.

This is a massive game for both sides as they are desperate for points coming into the tough end of the season. The table is so tight that a win for Birmingham could push them possibly as high 12th, but even all three points from Wigan would not get them out of the bottom three.