Not watched Brum except a bit v Newcastle last year
Only watch United and local teams if time/tired.
but this
says
Birmingham City predicted lineup vs Sheffield United
With that in mind, here’s the starting XI we reckon Davies will name to get the Carabao Cup campaign underway.
GK - James Beadle: In for his competitive Blues debut, Beadle is likely to start in the cups if Ryan Allsop remains the first-choice goalkeeper in the Championship.
RB - Ethan Laird: Benched in favour of Bright Osayi-Samuel against Ipswich, Laird is bound to rotate in for this one. There should be a good fight between the pair for the right-back slot this season.
CB - Krystian Bielik: The skipper has had to be patient for minutes for a long time now but should start every cup fixture available. Christoph Klarer and Phil Neumann will be in almost every Championship XI this term, you would have thought.
CB - Eiran Cashin: Another debutant, Cashin could slot in ahead of Neumann. Brighton wouldn’t have loaned the centre-back to Blues if they didn’t think he’d earn fairly regular game time.
LB - Alex Cochrane: As reliable as anyone in this squad, Cochrane will play a lot of football over the next few months as Lee Buchanan still isn’t ready following several injury setbacks.
CM - Taylor Gardner-Hickman: One of the most versatile players at Davies’ disposal, Gardner-Hickman will probably start, it’s just tricky to work out where. Resting Tomoki for the more important league fixture at the weekend makes sense.
CM - Marc Leonard: Another who isn’t a regular starter but can still expect to play his part this term, Leonard could get the chance to impress. It’d be interesting to see how he’d get on against a team as strong as Sheffield United.
RW - Willum Willumsson: Set to take more of a back seat this season following Blues’ summer business, Willumsson has a point to prove. The Iceland international was in good form at the end of last term.
CAM - Tommy Doyle: Surprisingly benched against Ipswich after thriving in pre-season, Doyle could be in line for his first competitive inclusion in the XI. The Wolves loanee has superb technical ability.
LW - Demarai Gray: In need of a goal to get going upon his Blues return, Gray could be handed some more minutes out on the flank. Another option is to start academy product Zaid Betteka.
ST - Lyndon Dykes: The former QPR man could be in line for a start as Jay Stansfield and Kyogo Furuhashi aren’t expected to be risked at this stage of the competition.
which implies 4-2-3-1
and hopefully as Pepshit and clones do, P ing about at the back.
With Soton stats at start of last season (laughable re 4 8 and 17 on Football focus)
And knowing Jeremy at Wendy and U-21's
My main tactic for Cooper (et al) is
KICK IT LONG.
TURN THE DEFENCE
GET THE KEEPER et al P ing about if and when it does break down.
The manager says (not me I say the opposite but how much is contamination for 18 months of Wilder?)
is that we play 'vertical' around a 'high press'
Well do it.
I'll take a 2-1 win (or a 4-1 if we actually create anything) of the Soton stats.
