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Torres under the spotlight as Chelsea chase second

Ramires will be missing for Chelsea against Birmingham © Getty Images

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Alex and Ramires have failed to recover from hamstring injuries and will miss Chelsea's Barclays Premier League game against Birmingham. The Brazilian duo were expected to be fit after sitting out Saturday's win at West Brom but will now be unavailable until after this weekend's clash with West Ham.

Chelsea are nine points behind Manchester United with a possible 18 still on offer, so in truth Wednesday's game at Stamford Bridge is more about making sure the club is guaranteed Champions League football next season. Carlo Ancelotti said: "The gap doesn't allow us to think we can win the title. So it's better for us to think about preparing for the next game against Birmingham to try to win, and the other five games.''

Much more realistic is overhauling second-placed Arsenal, which Chelsea will do if they beat Birmingham and the Gunners fail to win the North London derby. However, Ancelotti once again demonstrated the level of expectation at Stamford Bridge by saying: "Second or third place is not important for Chelsea.''

November's defeat at Birmingham was one result which the Blues might look back on as ultimately costing them their title. "That game was one of our best performances this season. We didn't win and were really unlucky,'' said Ancelotti.

Birmingham winger Jean Beausejour is back in contention after injury. The Chile international missed the 1-1 draw at Blackburn and the 2-0 home success over Sunderland at the weekend with a hamstring strain. City boss Alex McLeish, whose side defeated Chelsea 1-0 at St Andrew's in November, has no fresh injury concerns, but strikers Nikola Zigic and Obafemi Martins plus defender Martin Jiranek remain sidelined with groin problems.

McLeish knows it will be a major achievement to emulate their win over Chelsea in November, courtesy of Lee Bowyer's goal, or even obtain a point. But he has been pleased with the response of his players in picking up seven points from the last three games. He said: "Chelsea looked happier at West Brom on Saturday with the one player up front. We know if we get anything at Chelsea, we are punching above our weight. We got a bit of luck that day we beat Chelsea at our place, some great rearguard action, great goalkeeping.

"But I'm just really pleased with the way the players have responded in the recent games. Results can go against you due to no fault of your own, a decision, a bit of bad luck, but you must continue to give the performances. We've actually played some good football. Maybe we don't build up the way Barcelona and Arsenal do but then again not many teams do. But when we get the ball down, we've got some players who are terrific on the ball and you've seen that.''

Chelsea player to watch: Fernando Torres. It's 12 games and counting without a goal for the £50 million man, who finally managed to find the net at West Brom, only to see the linesman's flag raised. The old adage says a manager should not mess with a winning side, but Carlo Ancelotti may gave in to sentiment by allowing Torres a start against Birmingham.

Birmingham player to watch: Sebastian Larsson. The former Arsenal man is worth £15 million in the eyes of Liam Ridgewell, yet Blues face the possibility of losing him for nothing unless they can thrash out a new deal. Larsson scored in the win against Sunderland, and his effort levels have not dropped despite ongoing off-field issues.

Key Battle: Jon Obi Mikel v Lee Bowyer Bowyer scored the winner in the season's earlier meeting at St Andrew's, and his intelligence when timing runs into the box remains the best part of his game. With Ramires sidelined, the alkaline figure of Mikel will likely be charged with providing Chelsea's defensive platform in front of the back four.

Trivia: Birmingham are looking to complete a first top-flight league double over Chelsea since the 1955/56 season.

Stats: Chelsea have never lost a Premier League game to Birmingham at Stamford Bridge.

Odds: Chelsea 1/5, Birmingham 14/1 and the draw 11/2 are on offer at bet365, while Fernando Torres to score the first goal is available at 7/2.

Prediction: Having taken seven points from a possible nine in their last three matches, Birmingham's players are likely to feel like they have money in the bank at Stamford Bridge, setting up a routine win for Chelsea.

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