‘Dazzling’ winger starts as Chris Davies names five changes in EFL Trophy - Birmingham City predicted XI vs Exeter
Chris Davies is likely to rotate his Birmingham City lineup for the trip to Exeter City in the EFL Trophy.
Blues will be excited to properly get their EFL Trophy campaign underway at Exeter this Tuesday night after progressing through the group stage of the competition.
Davies’ side take on Exeter at St James Park with the aim to carry on to the third round. It’s a tournament Birmingham are the outright favourites to win, so a victory against the Grecians is a necessity to continue on the road to Wembley.
A strong lineup is probable as Davies wants to progress as far as possible in every competition but the priority remains League One, so there will no doubt be a few changes. A lot of energy was expended in the 2-1 win away at Barnsley, too, adding further reason to hand a few players a rest.
With that in mind, here’s the Birmingham team we reckon will take on Exeter.
Birmingham City predicted lineup vs Exeter City
GK: Bailey Peacock-Farrell
The Northern Irishman has been dropped in favour of Ryan Allsop recently, but that’s likely to swap around in the cup competitions.
CB: Krystian Bielik
The new captain leads exceptionally well from the back and is vitally important to this team. No matter the fixture, the Poland international should play.
CB: Dion Sanderson
Sanderson has fallen well down the pecking order of late but he remains a decent player Blues can call upon in these competitions.
CB: Ben Davies
The manager’s namesake is enjoying a good run in the team and deserves to keep his place. Christoph Klarer, meanwhile, needs a rest at some stage.
RWB: Taylor Gardner-Hickman
Gardner-Hickman has been a useful utility option for Blues so far this campaign. Davies is likely to call upon the former West Brom man’s versatility again here.
LWB: Ethan Laird
Proving to be a reliable option on either side, Laird could start at left wing-back following the injury concern for Alex Cochrane.
CM: Tomoki Iwata
One of Iwata or Paik are likely to be given an evening off against Exeter, but it’s difficult to work out which. We reckon it’ll be Paik who sits out.
CM: Marc Leonard
Leonard has had to settle for an impact substitute role in League One due to Paik and Iwata’s form, so he should earn as many minutes as possible in the cups.
RW: Luke Harris
The Fulham loanee returned to the XI against Barnsley with Willum Willumsson out through injury. It’s likely to be the same again this midweek.
LW: Ayumu Yokoyama
The dazzling winger has seen his minutes limited but he scored twice against Fulham Under-21 in this competition and could earn a start.
ST: Jay Stansfield
Stanno is another player who could perhaps be rested but given his connection with Exeter, he’ll be desperate to play from the off.