Our prediction for this FA Cup match:
Leicester
Match Time & Date:
27 January 2024
15:00
Prediction: 2-1
Birmingham City
Following a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town in the Championship derby, Leicester City will look to return to winning ways when they face Birmingham City in the FA Cup last 32. The Foxes are enjoying a very successful season, but they head into the match without Patson Daka, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Harry Souttar (all on international duty). Issahaku Fatawu is banned for the match, but the good news for the hosts is that Jamie Vardy has overcome his injury.
The Blues, on the other hand, aim to build on back-to-back wins over Hull City and Stoke City. Birmingham City, though, are not regarded as good travellers and we do not believe that they are capable of spoiling Leicester City’s party at King Power Stadium. All Marc Roberts, Alfie Chang, and George Hall are sidelined with injuries, while Ethan Laird is a major doubt and he will be assessed ahead of the kick-off.
Highlighted Player (Jamie Vardy):
Spending his early career playing no-league football, Jamie Vardy made the headlines when he joined Leicester City in a £1 million deal in 2012, but little did he know that he would go on to become a genuine Premier League star just three years later.
The experienced forward helped the Foxes gain promotion to the elite division and then score more than 20 goals as they mounted an unlikely title bid, earning worldwide acclaim as well as a place in the England squad. Vardy went on to score his first two goals for the Three Lions in March 2016 friendlies, with his back-heel goal against Germany in Berlin seeing him instantly become a fans’ favourite.
Over the years, Vardy has earned a reputation as a striker who never gives up and can be a real menace for opposition defenders, but his excellent goalscoring record and good link-up play are enough to suggest he can be described as a mix of old-style pacey forwards and modern strikers.
Highlighted Team (Birmingham City):
Birmingham City are a club located in the city of Birmingham, England. Birmingham City were founded in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, but the club’s named was changed to Small Heath in 1888. 17 years later they became Birmingham and in 1943 they finally changed their name to Birmingham City.
The Blues welcome their rivals at St. Andrew’s, the stadium that was opened in 1906. Birmingham City compete in the Championship and their fiercest rivals are WBA and Aston Villa. The Blues made it to the FA Cup final twice, but they have yet to win the prestigious trophy. In 1931 they were beaten by their local rivals WBA in the title game (1-2), whilst in 1956 they were outplayed by Manchester City in the title game.
The colour of Birmingham’s home kit is blue with white stripe. Trevor Francis, Gil Merrick, Bob Latchford, Jeff Hall, Alex Govan, Joe Bradford and Christophe Dugarry are notable footballers who played for the St. Andrew’s outfit in the past.
Sabah Baku
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