West Ham vs Birmingham City Live

Tonight West Ham and Birmingham City are set to do battle at Upton Park in the first leg of the semi-final of the Carling Cup. For both teams who face the threat of relegation from the Premier League, the Carling Cup provides them with the opportunity to get to Wembley and the possibility of winning some silverware. With just two matches standing between the Hammers and the Blues and the final, which players will prove to be the tie winners?
After resting several key figures in the FA Cup fixture at the weekend, West Ham will bring back the likes of Matthew Upson and Frederic Piquionne into their starting XI. They will perhaps be most greatly boosted by the inclusion of Scott Parker, their midfield talisman. Parker has been immense for West Ham this season and this is reflected in the Picklive stats, where he’s the Hammers’ third top points’ scorer with an average of 51.
This is only bettered by fellow midfielder Mark Noble, who is leading the way for West Ham in Picklive this season, and Danny Gabbidon who has netted 54 points per game. With Birmingham likely to be on the defensive in the first leg, it is fairly likely that West Ham could earn a clean sheet and thus Gabbidon would be a wise selection. Picking Scott Parker for your Picklive Trio is a must, as if you’ve seen West Ham play this season, you’ll know just how important Parker is to Avram Grant’s side.
For Birmingham, getting to the Carling Cup final would prove to be an achievement that Alex McLeish and his side can be proud of. After the side’s 4-1 drubbing of Millwall in the FA Cup they should be full of confidence and looking to continue their good cup form. One man in particular who that applies for is Matt Derbyshire, and after limited game time this season, he will not want to pass up another opportunity should he be rewarded for his brace on Saturday.
Birmingham’s top Picklive points’ scorers this season have been Barry Ferguson, Liam Ridgewell and Roger Johnson, scoring an average of 56, 45 and 44 points per game respectively. This makes Ferguson a sensible selection, but with West Ham hardly prolific in front of goal, the choice of Johnson in your trio could well be a good one.

West Ham boss Avram Grant is under pressure and his job is on the line ahead of tonight's semi-final first leg. The chance to take the Hammers to a cup final could ease the pressure on Grant, although until he steers his side away from the relegation zone in the Premier League, he will still be seen by many as unsuitable for the job.
bet365 offer 5/4 that West Ham take the advantage tonight, which if the hosts give the same kind of performance that saw them beat Man Utd 4-0 in the last round could be good value.
Birmingham, who will likely look to keep things tight tonight, are 11/5 to win tonight's first leg.
The visitors would likely settle for a draw which can be backed at 9/4
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