Lukas Jutkiewicz has been patched up and could bolster Birmingham City’s bench for this weekend’s relegation six-pointer with Huddersfield Town.
Blues travel to Yorkshire needing a victory to give themselves a fighting chance of survival on the final day of the season. Huddersfield will be relegated if Blues take the spoils at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Jutkiewicz is bidding to prove his fitness to Gary Rowett before Blues make the jaunt north. The striker hasn’t played in six weeks since injuring his knee in the final moments of Blues’ 1-0 defeat to Watford.
Rowett said: “Jukey epitomises what you need at this stage of the season. As he has done so many times, he just wants to get out there. He’s running around with more tape on him than I’ve ever seen in my life.
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“He is going to do his best to be available. I think that’s really inspirational. That’s what you need to look at at this stage of the season, someone who has had to do it so many times but just cannot do it any other way than be incredibly professional.
“If he is available then at some point in the game he could be absolutely vital to change the game. We haven’t had the opportunity to do that at all really, so he could certainly give us a different outlet should we need it late on.”
Rowett sprung a surprise by starting Oliver Burke against Rotherham United last weekend. The on-loan Werder Bremen winger was substituted at half-time and won’t be available for the Huddersfield match. Alex Pritchard, meanwhile, is available for selection.
“Pritchard has trained all week,” Rowett added. “Burkey hasn’t. He felt his hamstring at the end of the game so he’s unavailable.”
