Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce admits Birmingham will be a much more difficult proposition with Harry Redknapp in the opposing dugout.
Mid-table Villa host their derby rivals on Sunday following the resignation of Gianfranco Zola as manager on Monday followed by Redknapp’s appointment the following day.
Birmingham were seemingly headed for Sky Bet Championship relegation under the Italian after only two wins in 24 matches left them two places and three points above the drop zone ahead of the trip to Villa Park.
Blues could even be in the bottom three by the time they travel across the city, depending on the results involving Blackburn and Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Bruce believes bringing in Redknapp gives them a better chance of survival as the 70-year-old will reignite confidence in Birmingham’s players through his experience and know-how.
“Of course it is more difficult for us,” said Bruce at his pre-match press conference.
“In Harry – the most experienced British manager out there – they have made a very, very good appointment. You can see he still has marvellous enthusiasm for it, even at his age.
“Certainly he’ll breed a bit of confidence and belief back into the players at Birmingham, he is wonderfully experienced. We never want to see managers losing their jobs but in his appointment it has added a bit of spice. With his know-how they might be a different proposition.
“He couldn’t have wished for a better start. He’ll be confident he’ll get them a win to keep them in the division. Not on Sunday.”
Redknapp only took the job on Tuesday but he has been pleased with the work he has done with his squad in training and hopes they can translate that into the match on Sunday.
“They’ve been good, the lads have been excellent, the training pitches are fantastic, that’s the most important thing, I have been surprised how good the pitches are,” said Redknapp at his pre-match press conference.
“The players have been great, they have worked hard and shown a good attitude.
“We have just tried to get back to basics, really, nothing clever. W e have spent a lot of time on shape and pattern of play, what we want to do when we get the ball. We have worked on corners, set-plays with them, we are as ready as we can be.
“You have got to try and instil some confidence in them, you just hope the players can show on the pitch what they show on the training ground.”
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.