Preview: Crystal Palace vs. Birmingham City

Crystal Palace will attempt to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive when they welcome an improving Birmingham City to Selhurst Park on Friday.

Palace were beaten 3-0 by Brighton & Hove Albion last time out, but an impressive season to date sees them occupy fourth position in the table, just three points behind second-placed Hull City with eight matches left to play.

Birmingham, meanwhile, have been much-improved in recent weeks with three wins from their last five league matches moving them into 12th position in the table, but they sit 10 points outside of the playoff positions.

The reverse fixture earlier in the season ended in a 2-2 draw, but Palace were 1-0 winners the last time they welcomed Birmingham to this stadium in December 2011.

Palace boss Ian Holloway is expected to make changes from the loss to Brighton last time out, with Kevin Phillips coming into the team at the expense of the suspended Wilfried Zaha, while Dean Moxey could also start.

Birmingham, meanwhile, could name the same side that overcame Middlesbrough before the international break, with on-loan Newcastle United midfielder Shane Ferguson joined in midfield by Ravel Morrison, Wade Elliott and Nathan Redmond.

Recent form

Palace: LWWDL

Birmingham: WLDWW

Possible lineups

Palace: Speroni; Delaney, Ramage, Richards, Parr; Bolasie, Dikgacoi, Williams, Moxey; Murray, Phillips

Birmingham: Butland; Davies, Spector, Caddis, Robinson; Ferguson, Morrison, Elliot, Redmond; Zigic, Thomas

Sports Mole says: 2-1