Birmingham and Newcastle face off in a clash that is shaping up to be one of the most interesting in this round of the FA Cup, especially after the visitors reached the EFL Cup final earlier in the week.
There are few League One teams left in the FA Cup and Birmingham are the strongest of them all. The Blues are the current leaders and are likely to move into the Championship at the end of the season. The team has not lost a game since the end of November and their streak includes 18 games, 15 of which were wins. Chris Davies is doing wonders with the team, but is he ready to face one of the Premier League's best?
Newcastle's form says enough, though the team conceded two shocking losses to Bournemouth and Fulham at home in recent weeks. But before those two games, the Magpies had won 9 in a row in all competitions and their recent triumphs include two wins over Arsenal and one each against United, Tottenham, and Aston Villa.
Newcastle are uncompromising in attack and right now are performing at their best away from home. Their last five away games were all wins and they scored at least two goals in each. Earlier in the week, they outclassed the Gunners in the return leg of the EFL Cup semi-final. Surely, they will aim to go as far as possible in all competitions, including the FA Cup.
How the bookies view it: Expected away advantage
Newcastle's advantage is obvious, but the bookies have still left some value we can work with. You can pick any of the three options at 5/1 for Birmingham, 2/5 for Newcastle, or the attractive 4/1 for the draw.
Recent head to head: The Magpies have always dominated
Back in the day, Birmingham and Newcastle had a pretty interesting rivalry, but they haven't met since the Magpies' last season in the Championship (2016/17). Newcastle's advantage in the direct clashes is huge, having not lost to Birmingham in eight consecutive games. The home side's last win was exactly in the FA Cup in 2007.
Players to watch: Gordon shines in Cup matches
Eddie Howe will be giving some of his key players a rest in this clash, with big names like Alexander Isak expected to miss out. We would like to draw your attention to young Anthony Gordon, who is having another impressive season for The Magpies with nine goals and seven assists in 30 games. It should be noted that the youngster scored one of the goals against Arsenal during the week, as well as one of the goals for Newcastle in the previous FA Cup round.
Probable line-ups
Birmingham: Peacock-Farrell, Hanley, Bielik, Cochrane, Klarer, Dowell, Leonard, Harris, Jutkiewicz, May, Wright
Newcastle: Pope, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Botman, Hall, Murphy, Miley, Longstaff, Wilson, Gordon
Anything else catch the eye?
Newcastle are fully capable of beating any team in England with a full squad, and their reserves can certainly handle any team of Birmingham's level. We expect to see goals in this game because it's an opportunity for the young players to prove themselves, and for Birmingham's squad to get noticed by scouts. Bromley managed to score against Newcastle as guests in the previous round and we think the odds are worth it again. We certainly believe the visitors will win, but it won't be without any difficulties.
This FA Cup match between Birmingham and Newcastle will be played on and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Birmingham vs Newcastle prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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