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18 min: Birmingham have certainly had the better chances in these early stages. They look the team most likely to score.
16 min: Chance for Birmingham as a corner is sent into the box. Doyle heads it towards goal but Gray gets in his way and blocks the effort! Leeds can eventually clear.
13 min: There is a minute of applause from the Birmingham fans and players in support of Tom Wagner, who is currently recovering from a stroke.
11 min: Huge chance for Birmingham as the ball drops to Stansfield on the edge of the box. He takes a touch before unleashing a powerful volley, which is tipped onto the post by the fingertips of Perri. What a save!
9 min: Birmingham have managed to get themselves in some good positions so far, but Leeds are starting to see a bit more of the ball.
6 min: Birmingham go on the attack as Gray attempts a shot from distance. It takes a deflection and loops upwards. Stansfield brings the ball down with a great first touch, putting it into a dangerous area, but nobody is there to get the shot away.
4 min: Birmingham have a corner now as the ball is sent over to the back post. Solís makes a late run and attempts the volley, but his effort bounces off the side netting.
3 min: Okafor receives the ball out on the left and makes a run deep into the box before cutting inside, but Klarer sticks a boot out to send it behind for a corner.
Nothing comes of the set piece and Birmingham have a goal kick.
2 min: Both teams have seen a bit of possession so far, with Birmingham looking to press high when Leeds have it at the back.
Kick-off
We’re under way in Birmingham!
The teams are out. The atmosphere at St. Andrew’s is incredible. Kick-off is just a few moments away!
Elsewhere in the FA Cup today
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Grimsby Town v Wolves
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Stoke City v Fulham
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Oxford United v Sunderland
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Arsenal v Wigan
Match officials
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Referee: Paul Tierney
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Assistant referees: Adrian Holmes & Craig Taylor
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Fourth official: Craig Pawson
There is no VAR in the FA Cup fourth round this season.
Birmingham manager Chris Davies believes his team can cause a huge upset this afternoon. Speaking ahead of the match, he said: “I am sure the general consensus would be a Premier League team like Leeds would be expected to progress against Championship opposition.
“But we are at home, we’ve got a team in Leeds who I have been watching closely and I have enjoyed watching closely in the last week because I think they have really held their own in the Premier League this season.
“They are bucking that trend by the looks of it of teams going up and coming straight back down, there’s a lot to be said for that. I think they are obviously a very well organised outfit but they have been holding their own games.
“I watched the Chelsea game in detail, I watched the Everton game when it was on TV, they are a very good team and for us to test ourselves against a team like that is exactly what I think we want right now.
“Every week is a test in the Championship but just what the Premier League is is it’s the pace of the game, the physical speed of the players but also the perceptive speed, how quickly they think, react, how quickly the ball moves, and I think that’s something that our players are really excited about testing themselves within.”
Speaking ahead of the match, Leeds manager Daniel Farke said: “Each and every game is a chance to shine. For every player, this is a chance to make a good impression and be back in the good books and to have chances to be involved in each of the upcoming games.
“It is a club with lots of potential and they are ambitious. But the Championship is tough; many teams are ambitious. They have good momentum at the moment, you have to say really good performances. I like their group of players, quality. They are just one point out of the playoffs and are on a good run of form.
“It is a tough place to go because they will focus on this game against a Premier League side. I expect a full packed stadium, good atmosphere. It will be difficult for us and we have to be at our very best.
“The league, to achieve survival, has priority. But we want to go into the next round and see how far we can go. I am a big believer in cup competitions.”
The biggest shock of the weekend so far came when Mansfield Town knocked out Burnley with a 2-1 win at Turf Moor yesterday. Louis Reed scored the decisive goal in the 80th minute to send the Stags through to the fifth round.
Yesterday’s FA Cup results
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Burton Albion 0-1 West Ham
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Norwich City 3-1 West Brom
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Southampton 2-1 Leicester City
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Burnley 1-2 Mansfield Town
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Manchester City 2-0 Salford City
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Aston Villa 1-3 Newcastle
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Liverpool 3-0 Brighton
Birmingham announced earlier this week that club chairman Tom Wagner is recovering from a stroke. The 56-year-old has therefore stepped back from his duties at St Andrew’s for the foreseeable future.
Blues manager Chris Davies shared his support for Wagner during his pre-match press conference and insisted the team will do their best to get the win for him against Leeds today. He said: “We were shocked and very concerned to hear the news. Tom’s the driving force behind Knighthead and has obviously been a big part of it since I’ve been here.
“He’s someone I respect greatly and think a lot of. I said to the players that he’s pretty much brought every single player that’s here to the club as well. First thoughts go to him and his family in a very difficult situation because the football side pales into insignificance when you think of health and everything else.
“What I would say is that every update I’ve got is that he’s recovering very well and is very positive. He received quick treatment, which is critical in those situations and he’s improving. I know the people at Knighthead really well, I know Andrew Shanahan will be here for the game, Ara Cohen who is the co-founder will also be here. They have been very quick to get together and show that solidarity and I know we’ll do that as a club.”
Players will have TW13 on their shirts today as a way of showing support.
Team news
Birmingham City starting line-up: Ryan Allsop; Bright Osayi-Samuel, Christoph Klarer (C), Jonathan Panzo, Kai Wagner; Tommy Doyle, Jhon Solís, Carlos Vicente; Jay Stansfield, Demarai Gray, August Priske.
Subs: James Beadle, Brad Mayo, Billy Burrell, Phil Neumann, Zaid Betteka, Patrick Roberts, Kanya Fujimoto, Ibrahim Osman, Marvin Ducksch.
Leeds United starting line-up: Lucas Perri; James Justin, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw; Sean Longstaff, Ao Tanaka, Facundo Buonanotte; Wilfried Gnonto, Noah Okafor, Lukas Nmecha.
Subs: Karl Darlow, Jayden Bogle, Sam Byram, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev, Brenden Aaronson, Joël Piroe, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to coverage of the FA Cup fourth-round match between Birmingham City and Leeds United. It’s 10th in the Championship versus 15th in the Premier League today as Birmingham target an upset.
The hosts last made it to the fifth round in the 2019-20 season, where they lost to Leicester City after beating Coventry City on penalties. Meanwhile, Leeds made it to the next stage of the competition just two years ago by defeating Plymouth Argyle in a replay. They then went on to lose out to Chelsea.
Both teams will fancy themselves to win this one, so we should be in for a treat.
Kick-off is at 12pm GMT - join me!
