Sheffield Wednesday rivals dealt injury boost ahead of do or die relegation showdown

Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett has high hopes of being able to call on veteran striker Lukas Jutkiewicz this weekend. The Blues, who dropped back into the relegation zone last weekend after Sheffield Wednesday's win over Blackburn Rovers, take on Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon in what can only be described as a do or die encounter for both teams.

Birmingham are 22nd, a point behind the Owls, while Huddersfield are 23rd and three points adrift of safety. As such, both clubs know defeat at the John Smith's Stadium could spell the end of their survival hopes, with relegation to League One beckoning.

The Blues could be handed a boost going into the contest, though, with Jutkiewicz battling to be involved after overcoming a knee issue. The 35-year-old hasn't played since March but his impact has been felt this season, regularly coming off the bench and making a difference in games.

He's bagged three league goals this season off the bench and it seems he's determined to return in time to bolster Birmingham's chances of survival.

"Jukey is now running around with more tape on than I've ever seen," Rowett confirmed ahead of the contest. "He'll do his best to be available but just the fact he's back out there really is inspirational."

Rowett has also confirmed that Dion Sanderson should also be available for selection, despite being stripped of the club captaincy due to a drink-driving charge.

“We didn’t feel like the actions should be representative of being the captain, at least short term, we felt there needed to be a disciplinary in terms of being fined. He was quite open about apologising to the rest of the players," Rowett said on Sanderson.

“He made a mistake. Young players can make a mistake, fortunately for him it wasn’t any worse than that. We move on and he will be judged on his form like everyone else.”