Injury crisis limits McLeish options

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish will check on the fitness of a host of players before naming his side for tomorrow's FA Cup quarter-final with Bolton at St Andrew’s.

McLeish admits he has been hit by the worst injury crisis of his four seasons in charge of the Carling Cup winners.

Lee Bowyer, David Bentley, Keith Fahey, Stephen Carr, Liam Ridgewell, Craig Gardner and Nikola Zigic are all rated doubtful.

Alexander Hleb, plus long-term casualties Scott Dann and James McFadden, are definitely ruled out.

McLeish will take a late decision on whether to include Barry Ferguson who has had an injection to ease the pain from his broken rib.

Provisional squad: Foster, Doyle, Carr, Parnaby, Johnson, Jiranek, Davies, Ridgewell, Murphy, Larsson, Bentley, Bowyer, Ferguson, Fahey, Mutch, Beausejour, Martins, Jerome, Zigic, Phillips, Derbyshire, Redmond, Kerr.