Birmingham City are sweating on the fitness of Nikola Zigic ahead of tonight’s crunch clash against Portsmouth with manager Chris Hughton reluctant to use him unless he is 100 per cent fit.

A week ago the giant Serb scored all four goals in an emphatic 4-1 win at Leeds, but has not featured since.

Hughton admitted the knee injury he sustained was a bitter blow because the goal spree would have done his confidence the world of good.

However, with Adam Rooney or Wade Elliott ready to fill in if he misses out, the Blues boss will give him until the last minute to decide his fate.

“We will give him the time he needs,” said Hughton.

“At the moment he’s doubtful so it’s important he gets the time he needs. He missed out on the weekend and it is best to give it more time to make sure he is 100 per cent.

“It is a blow for us and him, but it wasn’t a surprise.

“We’d been primed because he’d picked up the injury scoring the fourth goal.

“If he’d scored the fourth goal and then come in the next morning and said he was a little bit sore then it would have been a bigger surprise, but we knew at the time that he’d just felt his knee a little bit so it’s not as if it was a massive surprise that he was going to miss the next game.