After thumping Crawley 4-1 during the week, City will face the toughest test possible on the weekend by travelling to Birmingham City, who are unbeaten at St. Andrew’s all season.
Birmingham City Form
After relegation from the second-tier last season, Birmingham City underwent a rebuild from top to bottom in the summer. The Blues were looking to return to the Championship at the first attempt, and their recruitment showed that they weren’t taking their ambitions lightly. Backed by NFL star Tom Brady and American businessman Tom Wagner, Birmingham certainly flexed their financial muscles in the window, splashing out transfer fees unheard of at League One level.
Our hosts on Saturday spent a combined £8million on Go Ahead Eagles midfielder Willum Thor Willumsson and Darmstadt defender Chris Klarer, but then the Blues went and splashed out nearly double that on Fulham striker Jay Stansfield, who spent the previous campaign on loan at the St. Andrews. On top of this, they managed to capture Alfie May, the Golden Boot winner of League One in 23/24.
The Bluenoses kicked off the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Reading, but soon embarked on a seven-game winning streak, sending them to the top of League One. The run included impressive victories over Wrexham, Huddersfield and Wycombe, which helped Birmingham assert themselves as the top dog in the division. A loss in the capital against Charlton was quickly redeemed with a 3-1 victory at Sincil Bank, as Birmingham remained top. A victory at home to Bolton was the last game before they went on a three-match winless streak, drawing to Mansfield and Northampton before losing to bottom club Shrewsbury 3-2 at the Crowd Meadow. Birmingham’s blip didn’t last long, as they took maximum points from their next five matches.
In the late weeks of 2024, Chris Davies’ side kicked on and stormed to the top of the table, with Barnsley, Bristol Rovers, Crawley Town and Burton Albion all put to the sword as part of an eight-game winning run in all competitions. A 1-1 draw at Stockport on New Years Day was followed by an FA Cup victory against the Imps, which kickstarted 2025 in style.
Ever since, Birmingham has picked up 26 points in eleven matches, and have remained unbeaten at St. Andrews in the league. Despite a 3-1 defeat at Bolton during the week, the Blues won’t be short of confidence. The task that faces the Imps is daunting, and if we want to bring three points back to Sincil Bank, we will have to go away and do something no-one in the league has done this season, beat Birmingham City at St. Andrews Stadium.
Birmingham City Tactics
The Blues setup in 4-3-2-1, featuring a triangular setup among the forwards that allows for fluid movement and rotation. The centre-backs take centre stage, playing a more crucial role than in other teams throughout the league, in the build-up from the back. The double-pivot, typically consisting of Tomoki Iwata and Seung-ho Paik, is positioned centrally, forcing the opposition to play wide in the majority of the game.
Christoph Klarer is a central defender who often ventures into wide areas and pushes the ball forward when he is unmarked by opponents. Ben Davies, also another integral part of the Blues setup, often positions himself deeper, aiming to send long passes into open areas behind the defence. Birmingham’s predicted starting XI for tomorrow is below:
Peacock-Farrell, Cochrane, Davies, Klarer, Gardner-Hickman, Seung-Ho, Iwata, Hansson, Williamson, Dowell, Stansfield.
Team News
Goalkeeper Ryan Allsop and Ethan Laird have both been ruled out for a couple of weeks. Bailey Peacock-Farrell, who started the Bolton defeat, will continue between the sticks. Jay Stansfield came off the bench in midweek and will be hoping to make his first start for almost three weeks.
Paudie O’Connor returns from suspension after serving a two-game ban for 10 bookings. Bailey Cadamarteri is pushing for a starting spot after making his return from injury against Crawley. Additionally, Ethan Erhahon is facing several weeks on the sidelines. To make matters worse for Lincoln, creative midfielder Jack Moylan is also on the injury list after rolling his ankle during City’s away victory against Northampton.
Match Referee
REFEREE: DAVID ROCK
Linesmen: Lewis Raper and Emily Carney
Fourth Official: Stephen Parkinson
Yellow Cards Per Game (Average): 3.83
David Rock has officiated 23 games in the EFL and cup competitions this season, during which he has issued 88 yellow cards and five red cards. He has refereed only one match involving the Imps in the 2024/2025 season, a 1-0 away win in Stevenage. In that match, Rock sent off our skipper Paudie O’Connor, penalised four Imps with bookings, and gave City a penalty kick that went on to be the match decider.
Previous Meetings
The reverse fixture at the Sincil Bank saw Bailey Cadamarteri’s first-minute goal cancelled out by three Birmingham goals from Keshi Anderson and Willum Willumsson. This occurred before an FA Cup win for the Blues in January.
Birmingham City are unbeaten in 19 games in all competitions against Lincoln, with City last defeating Birmingham in 1911. Since 1892, the two teams have faced each other 39 times, with Birmingham winning 27 times and the Imps four times.
You must be logged in to post a comment.