Newcastle head to St. Andrew’s to take on League One side Birmingham in the FA Cup on Saturday, and we’ve got the latest team news and predicted lineups, as well as a prediction included in our preview.
Birmingham vs Newcastle Preview
Carabao Cup finalists Newcastle United head down to the West Midlands on Saturday, as they take on League One promotion-chasers Birmingham City at St. Andrew’s in the FA Cup fourth round.
The Magpies head into the tie off the back of a 2-0 triumph over Arsenal, a 4-0 win on aggregate, in the Carabao Cup semi-final, with Josh Murphy and Anthony Gordon netting a goal apiece either side of the half-time whistle.
Prior to that impressive win, Eddie Howe’s side fell to a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Fulham in the Premier League last weekend. Despite this, they remain one of the most in-form teams in the country, having won 11 of their last 13 matches across all competitions – a return that sees them up in sixth place in the top-flight table.
To book their spot in the fourth round, Newcastle came from behind to beat League Two newcomers Bromley 3-1 in the third round, where Gordon was on the scoresheet once again, alongside youngsters Lewis Miley and William Osula.
FA Cup action comes next! đ pic.twitter.com/xocd6ebo3O
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) February 7, 2025
Birmingham, meanwhile, are unbeaten in 18 successive matches across all competitions and are currently four points clear of Wycombe at the top of the third division table. Last time out, they narrowly beat Stevenage 1-0 in the EFL Trophy.
Two-time finalists in 1930/31 and 1955/56, the Blues’ cup run this term includes a 1-0 win over Sutton in the first round, a 2-1 victory over Blackpool in the second round, and another 2-1 triumph over Lincoln in last month’s third round.
Saturday’s clash will be the first time that Newcastle and Birmingham have faced off in competitive play since the 2016/17 season, where they faced off on four occasions. The Magpies were victorious with 4-0 and 3-1 wins in two of the four matches, while the other two ended in 1-1 and 0-0 stalemates.
Birmingham Team News
Chris Davies looks to have a clean bill of health throughout his squad, therefore he has the option of fielding his best 11.
League One record signing Jay Stansfield will surely lead the line, looking to add to his 18-goal tally across all competitions this term, likely to start alongside either Lyndon Dykes or Alfie May.
Newcastle Team News
As for the visitors, it is expected that Howe will opt for a heavily rotated lineup given the short turnaround from their midweek win over Arsenal, which puts the likes of Lewis Miley, Callum Wilson and Sean Longstaff in contention for starts.
Harvey Barnes (muscular), Jamaal Lascelles (knee) and Joelinton (knee) are not in contention however, as the trio have been ruled out of the tie due to their respective injury concerns.
Birmingham vs Newcastle Predicted Lineups
Birmingham Predicted Lineup:
Allsop; Klarer, Davies, Cochrane; Laird, Leonard, Iwata, Gardner-Hickman, Anderson; Dykes, Stansfield
Newcastle Predicted Lineup:
Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Targett; Longstaff, Miley, Willock; Murphy, Wilson, Gordon
Birmingham vs Newcastle Prediction
The UK’s best football betting sites have Newcastle as 1/2 favourites to claim victory in 90 minutes on Saturday, while a draw is valued at 4/1 and an upset victory for Birmingham is priced at 9/2.
While we at SportsCasting agree that the Premier League outfit will come out on top, we expect the League One leaders to give a good account of themselves at St. Andrew’s and are therefore backing a narrow 2-1 win for the Magpies.
Prediction: Birmingham 1-2 Newcastle
