Five-a-side: Best of both! Rotherham United

Birmingham City prepare to travel to Rotherham United this weekend in what is a crucial game for both sides, but not the same kind of crucial as it was this time last week.

The home side sacked Neil Redfearn earlier this week after just 21 games in charge and with it unclear as to who will be in charge on Saturday, Blues need to be on their guard.

United currently sit in the bottom three, two points from safety, and a win could see them climb out of the relegation zone.

However, a win for Gary Rowett’s side could see them move back into the play-off spots, but only if Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday lose their games.

Rowett’s side lost only their second league game in 11 at the weekend and he will be hoping that his team can bounce back immediately away at the Millers and I think it is the perfect game for us.

I am not going to lie, it was quite difficult to pick a very strong five-a-side team this week but I have picked the best players from both teams that I feel would be good enough to play together.

GK: Tomasz Kuszczak.

Other than the two goals that he conceded on Saturday, the former Manchester United shot stopper had very little to do, but when he was called into action, he produced his best at times.

Kuszczak has kept 11 clean sheets so far this season and with just 16 games left to go, he will be hoping to get close to the 20 mark.

For me, Kuszczak was again the only real contender to go in goal this week because Rotherham have only managed six clean sheets all season, one of which was against the Blues.

DF: Micheal Morrison.

The Birmingham City captain looked distraught last weekend as Gary Hooper popped up with two goals but he has been a fantastic figure to have at the club since his arrival.

So far this season the former Charlton Athletic defender has managed to find the back of the net three times in all competitions and as well as being a rock at the back he is also a threat going forward.

His goals and his defensive awareness are why he is in the team this week. For Blues, Morrison is a key player and it would be difficult to imagine a back four without him.

MF: Chris Burke and Joe Newell.

I have opted to go for a Rotherham United midfield duo this week in the form of ex-Blues man Burke and 22 year old hotshot, Newell.

Since joining the club on loan in January, Burke has found the back of the net twice in three games and he is a real threat for Blues.

Blues fans will know all about his trickery and his delivery and I am sure that Rowett will have paid quite a bit of attention to him in the build up to this game.

Alongside Burke, I have place Newell because he has been one of the shining lights for Rotherham so far this season.

In 29 appearances this season, the midfielder has found the back of the net six times and like Burke, he is sure to be a real threat going forward.

I believe that Newell could be someone that will cause us a lot of problems this weekend and for that reason alone, he just needed to be in this weeks five-a-side team.

ST: Clayton Donaldson.

I have picked Donaldson to go up front this week because he looked sharp last weekend and now he has scored a goal, I think there could be more to come from him.

Last season, Donaldson scored the winner against the Millers at their place and I wouldn’t bet against him scoring again this weekend.

The joy that was on his face when he found the bottom corner on Saturday was something that all Blues fans have missed and I think there could be plenty more to come from Clayton in the coming weeks as we take on some of the teams in the bottom half of the table.

Blues and Millers fans, do you agree with the side that has been put out? Could a former Blues player come back to haunt them in their bid for a play-off place? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below!