Bruce keeps Fergie in dark
Old Trafford old-boy Steve Bruce has made six new signings during the transfer window, as he attempts to stave off a quick return to the Nationwide League.
The initial impact has not been too successful, with the Blues crumbling to a 4-2 defeat at Bolton on Saturday.
Having won their last five Premiership matches, United will start overwhelming favourites as they bid to cut Arsenal’s lead to three points.
But Ferguson is convinced Bruce will feel the benefit of the extra bodies and can eventually scramble to safety.
“With so many new players, we will have to play a bit of a guessing game about what team he will pick,” said the United boss.
“But by bringing in so many new faces, Steve now knows he has a squad which can cope with any injuries he might get in the last few weeks. It is bound to help him and I think they will just about manage to survive.”
Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was the major casualty of United’s win at Southampton on Saturday and he has been ruled out of tonight’s encounter after suffering hip and thigh muscle injuries in the clash with Michael Svensson which saw the Frenchman carried off.
Ferguson is hoping the eccentric World Cup winner will be fit to face Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday but his absence tonight will offer Roy Carroll another chance to shine.
With no room for error, there are unlikely to be too many changes, though Paul Scholes may find himself restored to the starting line-up as Ferguson’s men look to extend their unbeaten run to 10 games.
Ironically, the current successful streak began with a 2-0 post-Christmas home win against Birmingham, when Diego Forlan and David Beckham scored either side of the interval.
Though United eventually cruised home, Ferguson was quick to acknowledge that Birmingham had been hampered by the type of injury crisis Bruce’s recent spending spree is designed to overcome.
It is almost 25 years since United last suffered defeat at the hands of Birmingham, though long-standing Red Devils supporters will need little reminding of the 5-1 hammering they suffered at St Andrews on that occasion.
A repeat of the scoreline is almost impossible to envisage, particularly as, with his usual impeccable timing, Ferguson has got his side in top form as they approach the most crucial six weeks of their campaign.
However, the wily Scot has already identified the biggest threat to his team tonight in the form of French international Christophe Dugarry, whose physical approach has come as a shock.
Birmingham boss Steve Bruce is looking for his side to bounce back from a mistake-ridden performance at Bolton on Saturday, with a 4-2 defeat pushing Blues towards the fringe of the relegation dogfight.
“What I want us to do is produce the kind of performance we were turning out before we were hit by all of the injuries.
"People were saying then they didn’t like to play against Birmingham, with the atmosphere at St Andrews, the way we play, the ‘in-your-faces’ approach and we have to get back to that sort of performance.”
Defender Kenny Cunningham said: “We have to face up to the fact that we are in a relegation battle. We’ve got big games coming up and so there’s no easy solution. We’ve got to be big enough and brave enough to stand up to it and get ourselves out of the trouble we are in.”
Bruce received a boost with striker Dugarry declared fit. But key midfielder Aliou Cisse is still sidelined with a calf problem.
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