Birmingham City host Leeds United in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday (12pm)
Birmingham City striker August Priske had a goal chalked off against West Bromwich Albion
Birmingham City striker August Priske had a goal chalked off against West Bromwich Albion
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The stage could be set for August Priske’s first start for Birmingham City when Leeds United come to town on Sunday.
Priske, a £6million signing from Djurgården in January, has made four substitute appearances in the Championship to date with Marvin Ducksch and Jay Stansfield preferred up front.
Ducksch has reached the 80-minute mark in each of Blues’ last seven games and this could be an opportunity to rest the German for Chris Davies – whilst giving us a glimpse of a strike-force that could theoretically lead Blues into The Powerhouse.
Stansfield and Priske are the only two players contracted beyond The Powerhouse’s proposed opening date of 2030, meaning they are very much the future of Blues’ attack.
Priske isn’t the only attacker in with a chance of starting the FA Cup fourth round tie.
Carlos Vicente could reclaim the right-wing berth from Patrick Roberts and Demarai Gray is desperate to play on the left. Gray has been out for six weeks and Ibrahim Osman has been superb in his place.
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Davies has an embarrassment of riches in the wide positions so it doesn’t really matter which two of the four start or come on as substitutes.
The natural replacement for Paik Seung-ho – who injured his shoulder again in the draw with West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday – is Tommy Doyle.
Jhon Solis and Doyle need to find the balance in midfield because both of them seemed eager to occupy the same areas against Albion. One of them needs to transfer the ball from defence to attack in Paik’s absence.
The treatment room is clearing up and Davies does now have more defensive options but it’s difficult to look beyond a quartet of Tomoki Iwata, Phil Neumann, Christoph Klarer and Kai Wagner.
Iwata was rested in midweek, but Wagner can’t be rested on the other flank.
The only question mark is whether Davies will draft in Jonathan Panzo for a debut in place of Phil Neumann. I am inclined to think that he will go with Neumann.
How will Blues line up?
(4-2-3-1): Beadle; Iwata, Neumann, Klarer, Wagner; Solis, Doyle; Vicente, Stansfield, Gray; Priske