Birmingham vs Newcastle United

Birmingham City Stadium welcomes Newcastle United who reached the EFL Cup final to a fourth round FA Cup match against each other on Saturday.

Both teams reached this stage after host Lincoln City defeated them 2-1 while Newcastle United scored three goals against Bromley 3-1.

The 2020-2021 season ended in disaster for Birmingham City when they lost their Championship status by only one point to Plymouth Argyle finished in position 22.

League One's top team this season The Blues fight for immediate Championship promotion by holding the league's first position along with their 63 points from 27 games.

The current management team of Chris Davies maintains the top position for Birmingham City Football Club since his appointment in June 2024. Their 19 victories along with 6 draws and 2 defeats in the league has positioned them four points ahead of Wycombe Wanderers. The Blues possess a two-game advantage over teams underneath them in the standings.

The club heads to their next match after achieving 18 straight undefeated matches while holding strong confidence but faces major underdog status against its Premier League opponent.

Newcastle United maintains their successful momentum heading into Saturday's match because they currently occupy the sixth spot in Premier League standings and earned their way to the EFL Cup final by eliminating Arsenal 4-0 through the aggregate semi-finals.

During the first fifteen league fixtures Newcastle United struggled to gain wins resulting in five victories together with five losses and five draws.
Eddie Howe's squad initiated their significant performance boost after defeating Leicester City 4-0 and subsequently won 11 games from their following 13 matches while securing a nine-game unbeaten run.

In the weeks leading up to their EFL Cup final, they will want to continue their winning streak, with Howe hoping to break Newcastle's trophy wait of 70 years.

In addition to being buoyed by their recent winning run, the Magpies have been playing at their best away from home this season, winning 21 of their 41 league points away from home.

Davies has a completely available team to choose from for this showdown because Birmingham City has escaped any serious injury issues in their previous games.

When the Blues paid an estimated £15 million for Jay Stansfield, more than £10 million more than the previous record, they broke the League One transfer record. The move has paid off, as he has scored 17 goals in 25 games and is anticipated to start here again.

Due to injuries, Newcastle's Joelinton (knee), Harvey Barnes (muscle), and Jamaal Lascelles (cruciate ligament) will not play in this match.

The manager may choose to rest a number of important players for this match because Howe will be watching a pivotal match against Manchester City after Saturday's game.