Birmingham City v West Ham preview

Last meeting: West Ham 1-1 Birmingham (09-02-2008) Freddie Ljungberg's seventh minute strike was quickly cancelled out by James McFadden's penalty. That proved to be the end of the scoring but the game also witnessed a red card, Lee Bowyer, now of Birmingham, being given his marching orders late on for West Ham.

The opposition: Birmingham are riding high in ninth place in the Premier League after a magnificent run of results. The Blues have managed four wins and two draws in the last six games, including an impressive 3-2 victory at Wigan at the weekend. St Andrews has witnessed the fewest goals in the league by a distance, the home team managing just five, while visitors have been restricted to four in seven games.

Danger men: Striker Christian Benitez, who adorns the name 'Chu Cho' on the back of his shirt, became the club's record signing when he joined from Mexican club Santos Laguna in July, costing the Blues $12.5million. His pace and power will be a threat up front, while former Hammer Lee Bowyer has found a new lease of life at St Andrews, scoring five goals from midfield so far this season.

Did you know? Birmingham were the first English side to reach a European final, losing 4-1 on aggregate to Barcelona in 1960, and 4-2 to AS Roma a year later.

Prediction: Birmingham 1 West Ham 1.

Betting tip: Alessandro Diamanti could be given a starting place up front, and the confident Italian is a good bet to get the first goal on Saturday.