Birmingham v Brighton preview

Manager Chris Hughton will assess his ranks before deciding which players to rotate for Birmingham.
Blues made it six successive wins in all competitions as they beat Leeds 1-0 on Wednesday, although they were naturally starting to show signs of tiredness in the second half at St Andrew’s as they juggle the demands of Europe and domestic success.
This weekend’s visit of Gus Poyet’s side will be City’s fourth match in 10 days and Hughton will continue to rotate his starting XI.
Having made seven changes for last Sunday’s 2-0 victory at Bristol City, Hughton opted for just two in midweek as match-winner Nikola Zigic and midfielder Jonathan Spector came in for Chris Wood and Morgaro Gomis respectively.
Centre-back Curtis Davies passed a late fitness test on his leg to start while midfielder Wade Elliott (calf) and defender Pablo Ibanez (concussion) will be assessed having missed out.
Jordon Mutch remains sidelined for around another month as he concludes his rehabilitation from a broken ankle.
New loan signing Billy Paynter could make his debut for Brighton but the Seagulls will be without Gary Dicker.
The midfielder will have an operation early next week after suffering a fractured fibula during the 1-0 home defeat against West Ham on Monday night and faces three months on the sidelines.
But boss Gus Poyet can welcome Vicente back into his squad after the former Spain midfielder missed the Seagulls’ last two matches due to a thigh injury.
Goalkeeper Steve Harper and full-back Gonzalo Jara made their debuts against the Hammers after joining on loan last week and look set to keep their places.
Adam El-Abd (foot) and Tommy Elphick (Achilles) are still missing and fellow defender Steve Cook on Thursday joined Bournemouth on a month’s loan.