Defender Carl Jenkinson has acknowledged that the Birmingham City first-team squad are excited ahead of Sunday's derby showdown with Aston Villa.

Birmingham suffered a 4-1 defeat to Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup on Tuesday night, but the Blues make the short trip to their near neighbours having registered 13 points from six games in the Championship.

Jenkinson has rarely featured for the Blues after joining on loan from Arsenal, but the right-back has admitted that he is looking forward to the clash with the promotion contenders.

The 25-year-old told Blues TV: "Any derby is a great thing to play in. When I signed for Birmingham in the summer the Villa fixtures are the first ones you look for - that's why you want to be a footballer, to play in those sort of games.

"Everyone is looking forward to it, we know what it means to the fans and to everyone involved at Birmingham City, everyone is buzzing for it."

Birmingham currently sit in 19th position in the league table, four points above the relegation zone.