BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes expects Craig Bellamy to be fit for Saturday's clash with Birmingham City.

The Welsh international has made a rapid recovery from the knee injury that forced him out of Rovers' recent win against West Brom.

And, providing he suffers no fresh set-backs in the next 48 hours, he should be ready to resume his partnership with Paul Dickov for the visit of the Blues.

Bellamy was badly missed at Anfield last Saturday as 10-man Rovers slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Liverpool following Zurab Khizanishvili's controversial sending off.

Now it is hoped Rovers can bounce back against Birmingham at the weekend and the presence of Bellamy will give the team a greater cutting edge in the final third as they go in search of a third home win of the season.

Hughes is well aware of the need for maximum points against a side managed by his former Manchester United team-mate Steve Bruce.

After Saturday, Rovers then face three tough away games against Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal with a home match against in-form Charlton Athletic sandwiched in between.

It's imperative, therefore, that Hughes keeps Bellamy fit for a crucial sequence of fixtures.

The former Newcastle striker has appeared in less than half of Rovers' nine Premiership matches to date but, when he has been available, he has always looked a threat and his blistering pace on the break was a key factor in the team's recent victory at Manchester United.