Everton-Birmingham City Preview

Posted Friday, October 01, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

LONDON (SE) - Everton skipper Phil Neville has backed his Toffees team-mates to rediscover their ‘fighting spirit’ and sentence Birmingham to their first league defeat at St Andrew’s in more than a year on Saturday.

Neville, whose side sit bottom of the Premier League and are still searching for a first win of the season, believes notorious slow-starters Everton have turned the corner and are ready to start moving up the table.

Neville said: “When I joined the club five years ago we lost six of the first eight, including six on the trot. I couldn’t see where the next win was coming from.

“I remember saying to Leon Osman, ‘do you think we’ll go down?’ He said, ‘don’t worry. Everton are slow starters but the spirit will show through’.

“That comment has stayed with both of us ever since. That fighting spirit now needs to shrine through.

“We came off the field after the Fulham game quite pleased with the performance but we still knew we were bottom of the league.

“But there is no point feeling sorry for ourselves. We have got to go to Birmingham and win because, at the moment, draws aren’t good enough for us.”

Everton look set to name the same starting side which drew 0-0 with Fulham last time out, although Tim Cahill is again only expected to last the first hour as he continues his comeback to full fitness.

Tony Hibbert is rated as a 50-50 doubt for the game but should come through a late fitness test.

Birmingham also come into the game on the back of a dull goalless draw with Wigan, but boss Alex McLeish is backing under-fire striker Nikola Zigic \2013 who was heckled by sections of the home support against the Latics - to get the Blues firing.

McLeish said: “Nikola is still adjusting to the English game. It is hurly burly, 100 miles an hour.

“On the continent he is used to balls being laid up to him and cushioning it and laying it off and keeping the play moving.

“But it is a totally different game here than the Spanish system and also the Serbian system as well.

“Nikola has still got to find some sharpness in his touch and things like that but I am sure he will make a contribution.”

The Blues will be without Craig Gardner, who begins a three-match suspension after seeing red against Wigan last week, while James McFadden is denied a reunion with his former club by the horror cruciate injury he sustained earlier this month.