‘Frustrated’ defender benched as versatility king starts - Birmingham City predicted XI vs Wycombe Wanderers
Predicting Chris Davies’ Birmingham City lineup to face Wycombe Wanderers in League One.
Birmingham City are in action for arguably their most important fixture of the season so far as they play host to Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.
The Chairboys - the nearest challengers in the race for the promotion and the League One title - are currently in second place and nine points behind Blues. If Chris Davies’ side - who also have a game in hand - can beat Wycombe this weekend, the gap at the top of the standings should become insurmountable.
Although three points at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park is nowhere near enough to secure mathematical automatic promotion at this stage with so many games left to go, it would feel like a leap towards it. Birmingham were always the favourites to finish at the summit of League One but the manner in which they’ve achieved that so far has been mightily impressive.
Davies is likely to name his strongest possible lineup this weekend but there are several key men unavailable through injury. In total, seven first-team players in the treatment room with two of those out for the rest of the season. With that team news in mind, here’s the XI we reckon will be named.
Birmingham City predicted lineup vs Wycombe
GK - Ryan Allsop
The boyhood Bluenose has been the first choice goalkeeper for several months. Bailey Peacock-Farrell, meanwhile, has made far too many mistakes.
RB - Ethan Laird
Laird scored the first of two goals as Birmingham played Orient off the park last time out. The right-back is in scintillating form.
CB - Christoph Klarer
Klarer has been immensely consistent this campaign, rarely ever dropping below a seven out of 10. Krystian Bielik, as frustrated as he’ll be, will have to wait on the bench for his next opportunity.
CB - Ben Davies
The manager’s namesake has been sensational, forming a formidable partnership with Klarer. It’ll be interesting to see whether Blues sign him permanently or not.
LB - Alex Cochrane
Cochrane has had to play a lot of football this season with Lee Buchanan out with two long-term injuries but he’s adjusted superbly, locking down the left-back spot.
CM - Tomoki Iwata
Arguably good enough to fit in any Championship midfield, Iwata has been one of Birmingham’s star men this term. There’s no displacing him.
CM - Paik Seung-ho
Paik didn’t have his best game against Bradford but he’s stepped up since, settling back in after a spell on the sidelines. He should stay in the team.
RAM - Kieran Dowell
The Rangers loanee has been a real hit, settling in excellently over recent weeks. Blues seem to have far more vigour to their attacks with Dowell in the team.
CAM - Willum Willumsson
Up to sharpness once more following a return from injury, Willumsson is ready to shine having already notched six goals and eight assists in 32 matches this season.
LAM - Taylor Gardner-Hickman
Arguably the most versatile player in the entire squad, Gardner-Hickman has become so important for Blues. It’s a good job he’s joining for the long term.
ST - Alfie May
A more like-for-like replacement for the injured Jay Stansfield, May will want to get back to scoring form. The good news is Stansfield hasn’t sustained any serious damage, so he’ll be back sooner rather than later.