The Blues have scored in five of their six Premier League games at Villa Park
Birmingham to score one 11/8 - BET NOW
City have won only three of their last 19 Premier League games..- Birmingham to win 7/2 - BET NOW
Aston Villa will be out to make it a magnificent seven against fierce local rivals Birmingham in Sunday's high noon derby showdown at Villa Park.
Villa have enjoyed success in each of their last six meetings with their neighbours and have the opportunity to inflict further misery on Alex McLeish's men this weekend.
But Blues can take heart from their previous half-dozen showdowns, having won four and drawn two Premier League meetings before bragging rights shifted firmly to the Villans.
McLeish saw his side snap their worrying six-game winless run in Premier League action last weekend as they saw off Blackpool 2-0 at St Andrews, before scraping through to the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup on penalties against Brentford.
Villa were also made to work hard to book their place in the last eight of the cup in midweek, needing an extra-time winner from Stewart Downing to overcome battling Burnley at Villa Park on Wednesday night.
Gerard Houllier has watched his side suffer something of a dip in form in recent weeks, with just one point garnered from their last three games to leave them only a point ahead of Blues in the standings.
Villa left-back Stephen Warnock will return after suspension, with the former Liverpool man sitting out the win over Burnley after incurring five bookings.
Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor (groin), captain Stiliyan Petrov (knee) and defender Luke Young (hamstring) are injured and midfielder Marc Albrighton is banned.
Houllier hopes striker John Carew will have recovered from the bout of flu which ruled him out against the Clarets.
Birmingham playmaker Alexander Hleb has been declared fit for Sunday's eagerly-anticipated meeting.
The on-loan Barcelona player suffered a knee injury during the home success over Blackpool but is named in McLeish's squad.
Midfielder Michel has shaken off a kick on the shin suffered against Brentford but Cameron Jerome (ankle), Jean Beausejour (knee) and James McFadden (knee) are long-term absentees.
Aston Villa: Friedel, Beye, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Downing, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Ireland, Young, Heskey.
Birmingham: Foster, Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell, Larsson, Ferguson, Hleb, Fahey, O'Connor, Zigic.
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