Birmingham City predicted line-up vs Sheffield Wednesday: key change amid big call on £2m ace
Birmingham City will hope to improve their dreadful away record in this week’s clash with Sheffield Wednesday
Birmingham City claimed a rare point on the road against Swansea City in their last Championship match, but they are in desperate need of three when they travel to South Yorkshire to take on Sheffield Wednesday in their next match.
The West Midlands side are currently in 14th position and are now eight points behind the top six as their hopes of achieving back-to-back promotions slowly begin to diminish. Chris Davies’ side have been strong on home soil throughout the campaign but have succumbed to travel sickness far too often - picking up just nine points from 42 on offer so far this season while only winning twice on the road all year.
However, they have a golden opportunity to improve on that wretched record this weekend as they face off against an Owls team that are still yet to treat their supporters to a home victory at Hillsborough amid a series of financial issues off the field. Birmingham made one change from the team that beat Cambridge in the FA Cup during their 1-1 draw with Swansea City, but can we expect to see any more changes this time around? Here’s our predicted line-up:
Birmingham City predicted XI vs Sheffield Wednesday: goalkeeper and defence
GK: James Beadle: The Brighton loanee is likely to start once again between the posts. The England Under-21 prospect has been first choice for the majority of the campaign.
RB: Tomoki Iwata: The Japanese footballer has been a near ever-present for Blues, helping out in midfield and at full-back due to his immense versatility. He keeps his place.
CB: Phil Neumann: The central defender is set to keep his place in central defence. He’s started most matches since making the summer move to the Second City.
CB: Christoph Klarer: The Austrian, who was sensational last season, is likely to partner Neumann in central defence.
LB: Kai Wagner: January arrival Wagner looks set to start at left-back. He’s yet to taste defeat in three matches since his move from Philadelphia Union. He’s likely to be the first choice for a while as Alex Cochrane continues to battle his way back from injury.
Birmingham City predicted line-up vs Sheffield Wednesday: midfield and attack
CM: Paik Seung-Ho: The 28-year-old, who has scored four times this season, is likely to start in the middle of the park.
CM: Tommy Doyle: The Wolves loanee should start in central midfield. He’s unlikely to get a warm reception from the home crowd having previously played for Sheffield United.
RM: Patrick Roberts: Summer signing Roberts has been a strong performer in 2026 so far. He got two assists in the league outing against high-flying Coventry City and scored last time out against Swansea City as well.
CAM: Jay Stansfield: Star man Stansfield returns to the starting line-up to give the team a massive boost going forward. He came on from the bench against Swansea after missing a few matches with injury.
LM: Lewis Koumas: The Welsh prospect is starting to have a real run of matches after struggling for starts earlier in the campaign. He’ll hope to grasp these opportunities while Demari Gray is sidelined.
ST: Marvin Ducksch: Two-time Germany international Ducksch leads the line ahead of Kyogo Furuhashi, who is still waiting for a first Championship goal.