Birmingham City v Cardiff City injury news as four players ruled out and five doubts

Birmingham City are to be without Ethan Laird and Siriki Dembele again for their Carabao Cup clash with Cardiff City on Tuesday night.

Dembele and Laird did not feature against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, after both suffered hamstring injuries in the win against Bristol City almost a fortnight ago.Both had been ruled out for the weekend, and John Eustace suggested that their recovery will be monitored, and that they would likely get them ready for the Millwall game this weekend.

Marc Roberts could be involved this evening after he returned to training last week, and was an unused substitute on the weekend. Roberts sustained a calf injury on the opening day of the season, and is now pushing for a start should Eustace ring the changes. Academy graduate George Hall made a cameo off of the bench on the weekend after dealing with two separate injuries in pre-season, and is another player that could come into the starting 11.

Tyler Roberts' is to miss out picked up a calf injury against Swansea City on the opening day of the season. He could make a push for the weekend but the international break could come as a safety net, and allow him to make a full recovery. Marcel Oakley had a hamstring issue that he complained about, and has recently resumed training. Alfie Chang however is said to be on the sidelines for a considerable amount of time after suffering a serious knee injury in training last week. He went down in training, and is shortly due to undergo surgery to rectify the issue.

As for Cardiff City, former Aston Villa and West Brom striker Callum Robinson was not included in the 20-man match-day squad on Saturday. He was dealing with a slight knock, and has not appeared much this season having suffered a serious hamstring injury in February last season. Former AFC Bournemouth and Rangers centre-back Jack Simpson was not included either, though his absence is unkown.

Goalkeeper Ryan Allsop meanwhile is said to be closing in on a move to Championship rivals Hull City for a nominal fee, and is not expected to play a part this evening. Josh Bowler is nursing a calf injury, and there is a hope that he would only be absent for one match but it is unsure whether Tuesday will come too soon for the Nottingham Forest loanee.