Leicester City will shift their focus to the FA Cup as they welcome Birmingham City to the King Power Stadium for a thrilling fourth-round encounter.
Match Preview:
After a hard-fought win against Millwall in the previous round, Leicester will be looking to continue their impressive FA Cup run.
Meanwhile, Birmingham City, under the guidance of Tony Mowbray, are determined to reach the fifth round for only the second time in twelve years. This match promises to be an exciting clash between two talented sides.
Leicester City’s journey in the FA Cup has been eventful so far, with a thrilling victory over Millwall in the third round.
Italian starlet Cesare Casadei stole the show, scoring a goal and providing an assist in the first half.
Despite Millwall’s late goal, Leicester held on for the win and advanced to the fourth round. However, their recent Championship performances have been inconsistent, with a loss to Coventry City and a draw against Ipswich Town.
Nevertheless, Leicester maintains a comfortable lead at the top of the Championship table. Their unbeaten streak at the King Power Stadium will provide them with confidence heading into this FA Cup clash.
Birmingham City also had a challenging third-round encounter, requiring a replay to overcome Hull City. They secured a victory with a late injury-time goal from Koji Miyoshi.
Under Mowbray’s guidance, Birmingham has shown signs of improvement, with a recent win against Stoke City in the Championship.
They are currently eight points clear of the relegation zone and have strung together a four-game unbeaten run.
Birmingham will be motivated to avenge their defeat against Leicester in the 2019-20 season and put up a strong fight in this FA Cup clash.
Team News:
Leicester City will be without Cesare Casadei, who has returned to parent club Chelsea. Australia’s Harry Souttar and Nigeria’s Kelechi Iheanacho are also unavailable due to international commitments.
However, Patson Daka is set to return after Zambia’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations. Abdul Fatawu and Wilfred Ndidi will miss the game due to suspension and injury respectively.
Manager Enzo Maresca is likely to rotate the squad, with Hamza Choudhury expected to be demoted to the bench following a recent off-field incident.
Birmingham City have recently added Andre Dozzell to their squad on loan, but he is ineligible to play in this FA Cup tie.
There is optimism that Marc Roberts and Ethan Laird will be fit for the match, but Alfie Chang, George Hall, and Lukas Jutkiewicz remain sidelined with injuries.
Experienced goalkeeper John Ruddy is expected to regain his place in goal, while Gary Gardner could make a return to the midfield.
Possible Lineups:
Leicester City: (4-2-3-1)
Stolarczyk;
Pereira, Doyle, Coady, Justin;
Praet, Winks;
Albrighton, Dewsbury-Hall, Akgun;
Vardy
Birmingham City: (4-2-3-1)
Ruddy;
Drameh, Bielik, Sanderson, Buchanan;
Gardner, James;
Miyoshi, Bacuna, Dembele;
Stansfield
Prediction: Leicester City 2-1 Birmingham City
Leicester City has been dominant at the King Power Stadium, and they will be determined to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Birmingham City, however, has shown resilience and quality in recent matches. While Leicester is expected to come out on top, Birmingham is likely to put up a strong fight.
