Fulham go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon in a match between two teams with very contrasting styles.

The Blues favour a more direct approach and will look to unsettle the visitor's defence from the first whistle. Meanwhile Jean Tigana's team prefer a more patient style always looking to open up their opponents with their neat passing game.

However it has not served them well in recent domestic matches with the Cottagers losing their last four Premiership encounters and this is the sort of game that the Blues need to win to avoid constantly looking over their shoulders in the coming months.

Three points for Steve Bruce's team would see them leapfrog the Cottagers in the table.

Surprisingly Blues distribution rate of 72% is slightly better than Fulham's average of 71%.

Aliou Cisse has completed 346 of his passes this season, and has won 41 challenges placing him in the top 10 of the Premiership tacklers. His combative approach could be a key asset for Birmingham on Sunday. Fulham may need to match his toughness in the centre of the park if they are to break their losing trend.

However French midfield man Sylvain Legwinski has displayed a solid determination so far in 2002-03 winning 42 challenges and the Cottagers are not such a soft touch, as people would believe.