Sven-Goran Eriksson says Manchester City are learning valuable lessons as they prepare for another game with relegation battlers.Ninth-placed City, who drew 0-0 at Bolton last weekend, are braced for a second scrap when they take on a Birmingham side one place and one point above the drop zone.

With so many recent arrivals to English football in their ranks, Eriksson believes these kind of fixtures will teach his team something for next season.

Brazilians Elano and Geovanni, Bulgaria's Martin Petrov and Swiss midfielder Gelson Fernandes are among those in their maiden seasons.

Eriksson said: "These new players we have, after one season they will know what the Premier League is about - that it is not always nice and pretty football, sometimes it's a battle as well and you have to stand up to that.

"Birmingham are fighting for their lives, as were Bolton, so we will have to be prepared for a battle again.

"When you play in the Premier League or any other top league in Europe you have to be prepared for everything - bad weather, different styles of football, many more times you have to battle than play wonderful football. That is football today.

"I understand why Bolton do what they are good at doing. They're doing what they have to do. Bolton, of course, physically are an extremely strong team, big strong lads who use their physique and they should do.

"All teams are trying to play good football with the players they have. But of course there are very few who have the best players in the Premier League and it is a question of money.

"Most clubs cannot afford to buy Ronaldo, Drogba or whoever because it is too much money.

"But football has always been like that, and will always be like that."

In a 30-year managerial career, Eriksson has little experience himself of survival tactics.

"I think it is very hard to manage a team which is fighting relegation," he added.

"Because every game is life or death for you and it is difficult to play relaxed football because you know that losing a point here, losing three points here, might finish you. No, I prefer where I am."

Elano, who suffered a mid-season dip in form, could start at St Andrews after making a good impression at the Reebok Stadium last week.

"Of course it was a pity for him that he was not selected for the national team but it was half the Olympic team this time," Eriksson said of his exclusion from Brazil's gathering.

"He has been better and better and I hope he will play well on Saturday."

Defenders Micah Richards and Michael Ball are not yet ready to return from knee injuries but young midfielder Michael Johnson should keep his place.

Although he played a full 90 minutes against Bolton, the 20-year-old pulled out of England Under-21 duty in midweek and is still restricted by the effects of surgery on an abdominal injury.

"He is okay," Eriksson said.

"First of all, he cannot play twice a week with the injury he has had. After a game he always has two or three days of recovery."

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