The view from Birmingham

How are Birmingham fans feeling about their trip to Anfield?

We're looking forward to it very much, as ever. Our record there has been very good in the Premier League - in fact I think we're the only club Rafa Benitez never beat in the Premier League. That's quite an achievement considering there are usually about 14 places between us.

You've pulled away from the relegation zone in recent weeks - is there a danger your lads have little to play for?

We've got seven points from the last three games (before the defeat to Chelsea) so in theory we could afford to get no points from these games against Chelsea and Liverpool. We've still got Wolves and Fulham to play at home and those are games we'd expect to get points from, which would be enough for us to survive. Though hopefully the players won't be thinking like this.

How's Alex McLeish doing?

He's a good manager who gets the best out of his players, as he proved by winning the Carling Cup against a team with far more technical ability in Arsenal. I'm a massive fan of his, and was before we won the Carling Cup. We finished ninth last year but as well as that, as a fan I look at the way he conducts himself in the media and I think, 'That's the way I want my club to be represented.' A bit like Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool. He's honest, straightforward, he doesn't make excuses and there is a bit of humour too.

Who should we be worried about?

Craig Gardner is our top scorer with a princely total of nine. If you watch a DVD of his goals you'll see they are all the same: 20-yard drives into the bottom corner. Watch out for that on Saturday. Roger Johnson is a very good centre-half and of course Liverpool fans will remember Cameron Jerome scoring the best goal he's ever scored at Anfield last season.

Weaknesses?

We don't score enough goals. I think we're the league's lowest scorers, and McLeish's gameplan on Saturday will be to keep it tight and hope to nick a goal. We have been weakened by the loss of two good centre-halves: Scott Dann, who has been out since January, and Martin Jiranek, who got injured in the Carling Cup final. Liam Ridgewell has been filling in but he's a left-back. But the one thing about McLeish's teams is that every one of them gives everything they've got.  

Who will you be worried about on our side?

Luis Suarez, obviously. He looks a real threat, and Andy Carroll is a good player too. I have always rated Dirk Kuyt as well. He gives everything and the way he converted that penalty in a cauldron of pressure on Sunday - it was as good a pen as you'll see.

Best and worst memories of playing Liverpool?

The Worthington Cup final in 2001 was the most painful because we lost on penalties and because David Elleray turned down a stonewall pen in extra-time. I think you went on to win five trophies that year. The best memory is probably a 3-2 win at Anfield in the late seventies. Trevor Francis scored two of our goals, I think. We were 3-0 up and then you scored two and at the end it was like Dunkirk with you attacking the Kop.

Score prediction?

Heart says 0-1 to us, head says 2-0 to Liverpool.