Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s EFL Cup clash between Birmingham City and Sheffield United, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
After both were left frustrated at the weekend, Championship clubs Birmingham City and Sheffield United will clash in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
The pair meet for a first-round tie at St. Andrew’s, after Blues were denied victory by a late Ipswich Town leveller and the Blades were blunted by Bristol City.
Match preview
Bouncing straight back from relegation, Birmingham City strode out of League One with a record 111 points last season, and their ambitious owners are apparently intent on going all the way to England’s top tier, with four of their summer signings starting against Ipswich on the Championship’s opening day.
Blues were on course for victory over a team freshly demoted from the Premier League, as star man Jay Stansfield gave them the lead early in the second half after Kyogo Furuhashi‘s attempt came back off the post, but a late twist denied the home crowd another taste of success.
Ipswich were awarded a controversial penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time, which they duly converted, and Birmingham boss Chris Davies was left ruing the referee’s decision.
Nonetheless, St. Andrew’s remains an unbreachable fortress, after Blues finished last season’s campaign with an undefeated home record in League One, winning 19 of 23 games.
So, they may expect to maintain the club’s perfect record against Sheffield United in the EFL Cup, having won the first two meetings – a quarter-final clash in 1966-67 and a third-round tie 19 years ago.
When the teams last met, though, United won 2-1 at St. Andrew’s in May 2023; in fact, the Sheffield side have prevailed on their last two trips to B9.
They have never previously won three in a row at Birmingham’s headquarters, but that will be their aim as new coach Ruben Selles seeks a morale boost to wipe away events last weekend.
His first competitive game as Blades boss was a repeat of the 2024-25 playoff semi-final versus Bristol City, which United won 6-0 on aggregate; however, this time they were beaten 4-1 at Bramall Lane despite a Tyrese Campbell equaliser getting them back in the match.
In spite of that setback, having missed out by a whisker at Wembley last term, the South Yorkshire club are hopeful of contending for promotion again.
Before visiting Swansea City on Saturday, Selles must first take his team to the second city, where spot kicks could be on the cards: he has overseen four EFL Cup ties to date, and three of them have gone to penalties.
Birmingham City form (all competitions): D
Sheffield United form (all competitions): L
Team News
Birmingham City are still missing injured winger Scott Wright and German striker Marvin Ducksch, while Kanya Fujimoto is continuing to recover from a knee problem.
Ahead of a weekend league trip to Blackburn Rovers, Chris Davies is set to rotate his resources, potentially handing new boys James Beadle and Eiran Cashin their first minutes.
Lyndon Dykes could be brought in up front, with either Jay Stansfield or Kyogo Furuhashi rested – perhaps even both.
Meanwhile, Sheffield United may start Djibril Soumare for the first time, after Tyler Bindon and Aston Villa loanee Louie Barry both made their competitive debut on Saturday.
Midfield trio Oliver Arblaster, Tom Davies and Jamie Shackleton are still absent through injury.
Birmingham City possible starting lineup: Beadle; Laird, Cashin, Bielik, Cochrane; Doyle, Leonard; Gray, Willumsson, Anderson; Dykes
Sheffield United possible starting lineup: Davies; Seriki, Bindon, Norrington-Davies, McCallum; Soumare; Ukaki, Peck, O’Hare, Barry; Cannon
We say: Birmingham City 2-0 Sheffield United
With momentum on their side, 2011 EFL Cup winners Birmingham should sweep through to this year’s second round with another home win.
Sheffield United are still finding their feet under new management, while Blues have a well-established style and are incredibly tough to beat at St. Andrew’s.
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