Forssell set for start

Mikael Forssell could be poised for his first start for more than two months when Birmingham begin the post-Steve Bruce era against Portsmouth at St Andrews.

The Finnish international last appeared in the starting line-up for the 2-0 reversal at Middlesbrough in September.

But he impressed when scoring as a substitute against Aston Villa and may replace Cameron Jerome who is recovering after undergoing a hernia operation.

Caretaker boss Eric Black will assess the fitness of a posse of players who have been on international duty for the past fortnight before finalising his side.

Birmingham (from) Taylor, Kingson, Doyle, Kelly, Djourou, Ridgewell, Schmitz, Queudrue, Nafri, Muamba, Larsson, De Ridder, Kapo, McSheffrey, Palacios, Danns, O’Connor, Forssell.