League One powerhouses Birmingham City will play host to EFL Cup finalists Newcastle United at St. Andrew's Stadium on Saturday in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The hosts defeated Lincoln City 2-1 to progress to this stage, while the visitors came from behind to beat Bromley 3-1 in their third round matchup.
Match preview
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Birmingham City suffered a devastating relegation from the Championship last season, narrowly finishing just a point behind 21st-placed Plymouth Argyle as they placed 22nd.
The Blues, seeking an instant promotion back to the second division, are proving to be a dominant force in League One, sitting top of the table with 63 points from 27 matches.
Chris Davies, in charge since June 2024, has led the side to 19 wins, six draws and only two losses in the league, leaving them four points above second-placed Wycombe Wanderers, while the Blues also have two games in hand on those directly below them.
Birmingham are undefeated in their past 18 outings across all competitions, leaving them with plenty of confidence heading into this one, though they will be the underdogs given their opposition's Premier League status.
Newcastle United are also enjoying a strong 2024-25 season, heading into Saturday's game sat sixth in the Premier League table and having confirmed their place in the EFL Cup final after defeating Arsenal 4-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
The Magpies initially had a challenging start to the campaign, managing just five wins from the opening 15 league fixtures, alongside five defeats and five draws.
However, a 4-0 demolition of Leicester City sparked the beginning of a significantly improved run for Eddie Howe's side, winning 11 of their next 13 outings, including a nine-game winning streak.
They will be looking to maintain that winning run over the coming weeks in advance of their EFL Cup final, with Howe looking to bring an end to Newcastle's 70-year trophy drought.
The Magpies will not only draw confidence from their recent victorious streak ahead of this matchup, but they have also been at their best on the road this term, picking up 21 of their 41 points away from home in the league.
Team News
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Birmingham City have avoided any major injury concerns in their past matches, leaving Davies with a fully available squad to select from for this matchup.
The Blues smashed the League One transfer record when they signed Jay Stansfield for a reported £15m, over £10m more than the previous record, and the signing has certainly paid off, netting 17 in 25 appearances; and he is expected to start once again here.
Elsewhere, a similar side to the one that started their last league match against Rotherham United at the beginning of the month could be named here.
As for Newcastle, Harvey Barnes (muscle), Jamaal Lascelles (cruciate ligament) and Joelinton (knee) are all ruled out of this encounter due to injury issues.
Howe will have one eye on a crucial encounter with Manchester City following Saturday's outing, meaning the manager may decide to rest several key players for this one.
Callum Wilson could lead the line ahead of Alexander Isak, while Joe Willock, Lewis Miley and Sean Longstaff may all come into the midfield ahead of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Klarer, Davies, Cochrane; Laird, Dowell, Iwata, Gardner-Hickman, Anderson; Dykes, Stansfield
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Targett; Murphy, Miley, Longstaff, Willock; Wilson
We say: Birmingham City 1-3 Newcastle United
Birmingham will be in good spirits due to their 18-game unbeaten run, but Newcastle are undoubtedly their toughest opposition of the season thus far, and we expect the Magpies to confidently win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
