Both hunting down a top-two finish, Birmingham City and Stockport County will meet at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for a League One clash on Wednesday night.
Blues have managed to get their promotion push back on track following a blip last month, whilst the Hatters are now looking for a fourth straight victory across all competitions.
Match preview
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After suffering a shock defeat at the home of relegation-threatened Shrewsbury Town on November 23, Birmingham City have responded in excellent fashion over the past week, securing back-to-back away victories at Exeter City and Blackpool to progress League One and FA Cup dreams.
A trip to the seaside and Bloomfield Road was on the agenda for a second-string Blues side on Sunday afternoon, when first-half strikes from Scotland international Lyndon Dykes and cult hero Lukas Jutkiewicz secured their club's safe passage into the third round of the FA Cup.
Before a clash in that competition against potentially a Premier League giant or Aston Villa in January, Birmingham now face eight third-tier fixtures and one EFL Trophy clash as the busy festive schedule commences, with Chris Davies's side aiming to get back to summit of the League One standings.
After winning only one of their most recent quartet of League One contests, Blues have dropped down to third place in the rankings ahead of Wednesday's clash with Stockport, although the Second City club have played fewer games than both leaders Wycombe Wanderers and second-placed Wrexham.
Alongside the Welsh Red Dragons, Birmingham are one of two sides in the third tier who are yet to lose a league fixture at their respective home base this term, with Davies's men earning 17 points across their opening seven fixtures at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.
![Dave Challinor manager of Stockport County during the Pre-season friendly match Stockport County vs Blackburn Rovers at Edgeley Park Stadium, Stockport, United Kingdom, August 2, 2024 [on August 11, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/32/dave-challinor.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Dave Challinor manager of Stockport County during the Pre-season friendly match Stockport County vs Blackburn Rovers at Edgeley Park Stadium, Stockport, United Kingdom, August 2, 2024 [on August 11, 2024]")
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After earning promotion from the National League to League One in the space of three seasons, Stockport are showing no signs of slowing down as they plan their climb towards to the top of the English game, with Wednesday's visitors to the Second City making a stellar start to life in the third tier.
Following a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of pacesetters Wycombe in early November, the Hatters have enjoyed a three-game winning run in the third tier, easing past the attentions of Bolton Wanderers, promotion rivals Wrexham and bottom side Burton Albion by an aggregate scoreline of 9-0.
As a result, Stockport have moved up to fourth spot in the League One table ahead of this week's daunting trip to face the title favourites, with the Hatters currently four points behind Wrexham in second and three points ahead of Reading who lie outside of the playoffs.
On loan from Birmingham's bitter rivals Aston Villa, Louie Barry has been a goalscoring sensation for Dave Challinor's men so far in 2024-25, with the 21-year-old leading the League One Golden Boot race boasting 13 strikes from his first 17 league appearances of the campaign.
Team News
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After making 10 changes to his side for the FA Cup match at Blackpool, Birmingham boss Davies should revert to a similar XI that got the job done in Exeter last Tuesday.
As a result, Paik Seung-ho and Tomoki Iwata are set to reunite in the engine room, whilst Jay Stansfield and Willum Willumsson should provide the threat in attack.
Blues are still without the services of Emil Hansson, Scott Wright and Lee Buchanan, although the latter is moving towards a return to first-team contention following a long-term injury.
Despite impressing during the FA Cup win over Brackley Town on Sunday, former Blues man Odin Bailey is unlikely to retain his spot in the Stockport side for Wednesday night.
Leading marksman Barry will return to the Hatters' XI, and so could Isaac Olaofe, who bagged off the bench against non-league opposition on the weekend.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Allsopp; Gardner-Hickman, Klarer, Bielik, Cochrane; Paik, Iwata; Anderson, Willumsson, Stansfield; May
Stockport County possible starting lineup:
Hinchliffe; Connolly, Horsfall, Pye; Southam-Hales, Norwood, Bate, Rydel; Collar, Barry, Wootton
We say: Birmingham City 2-1 Stockport County
With Barry at the focal point of their attack, Stockport have a serious chance of causing an upset in the Second City on Wednesday night.
That being said, Birmingham have returned to form recently and will be desperate to put on a convincing performance in front of a packed-out home crowd.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
