N Forest v Birmingham preview

Team news for Saturday's Championship clash between Nottingham Forest and Birmingham at the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest striker Simon Cox could feature, despite his midweek injury setback. Cox was forced off late on in the Republic of Ireland's 4-1 friendly win over Oman on Tuesday evening. It was thought the 25-year-old may have broken a metatarsal in his foot but X-rays have revealed only slight ligament damage. The striker was not expected to feature this weekend but manager Sean O'Driscoll is not ruling Cox out of his plans. Should Cox not be deemed fit enough, Billy Sharp is likely to make his full debut. Fellow striker Dexter Blackstock was forced to withdraw from international duty with Antigua & Barbuda due to a slight back problem but he is confident he will be fit to play. O'Driscoll will check on recent signing Henri Lansbury. The midfielder arrived at Forest with an ankle injury but it is hoped he will be in contention. Birmingham skipper Stephen Carr has been ruled out for up to six months after undergoing surgery on his knee. The 36-year-old had been on the verge of a first-team comeback after shaking off a thigh problem, but he has now been ruled out until March at the earliest. "Monday and Tuesday he was training really well prior to the Peterborough United game and we had pencilled him in to play, and he was really positive," manager Lee Clark told the Birmingham Mail. "Prior to the game he felt a little problem in the knee so we ruled him out. Over the course of the next few days it became really swollen. "We got him down to London for an appointment with the specialist, who worked with him last season, who went inside the knee and found quite a bit of damage. "It's horrific news. It's huge blow for the club, but more importantly for the lad himself. He's going to be out for a minimum of six months."